Global Market Surferby INTAGE Inc

[China: World Residence Tour] Chinese Housing with High Flexibility in Wiring

• Release date: Dec 22, 2020
• Update date: Sep 05, 2025
• 10404 Views

• Usage and altitude
• Furniture and home furnishings
• China
• Culture/Habit

So far, I have introduced Chinese housing by dividing it into different spaces. This time, I will introduce the differences between Japan and China in detail from the perspective of wiring.

What are the advantages of buying a skeleton?

The interiors of Chinese houses are actually fundamentally different from those of Japanese houses. In Japan, houses, especially condominium-type houses, are usually sold with interiors, and the interiors are modularized to some extent. For example, in the case of kitchens, system kitchens can be installed for convenience. Also, because they are system kitchens, each part of the kitchen is usually designed and arranged in consideration of the rationality of the flow lines of the residents. Therefore, in the kitchen of most Japanese houses, the flow line is rationalized as "sink -> cooktop -> stove. On the other hand, the situation is completely different in China. In China, although sales of houses with interiors have been increasing in recent years, the mainstream is still selling houses without interiors or with skeletons. As a result, while the rationality of the flow of traffic is reduced to some extent, it is easier to reflect the owner's needs in the interior design. The location and number of electrical outlets may be the best example to illustrate this. Taking the kitchen as an example, in Japan, one outlet is placed on the wall near the basic cooking table, refrigerator and cupboard. If the cupboard has a lot of other appliances, such as an oven, microwave, or rice cooker, this one outlet is not enough, so people often use a cupboard with an outlet or use an extension cord.

Japanese homes with electrical outlets near the cooking table (left) and cupboard (right).
(Source: Seikatsu-sha Database (Consumer Life Panorama)） 

In contrast, in China, you have to buy the product in a skeleton state, and in many cases, you have to make arrangements from the wiring. While this is time-consuming, it also has the advantage that you can install it as you like. Chinese households have a wide variety of cooking methods and therefore have many cooking utensils. For this reason, it is common to see multiple electrical outlets installed near the space where the cooking utensils are placed.

Chinese housing with multiple outlets on the cooktop (left), left of the stove (middle), and right of the stove (right). (Source: Seikatsu-sha Database(Consumer Life Panorama)）

There's a reason why the switch was installed.

In addition to electrical outlets, differences between Japan and China can be seen in the installation of switches. In Japanese bedrooms, the location of the light switch is basically near the door. That is because you are buying a house that has been decorated, so the developer decides where to install the lights on/off when you enter or leave the bedroom. On the other hand, in Chinese bedrooms, the wiring can be installed freely by the owner, so the switch is always installed near the door and also near the bed. This is because it is easier to turn off the lights when going to bed.

A switch in a Japanese bedroom installed near the door (left) and a switch in a Chinese bedroom installed near the bed (right) (Source: Seikatsu-sha Database (Consumer Life Panorama)）

In Japan, houses are purchased with the interior work already completed, which reduces the burden on the tenants and at the same time reduces costs through modularization. In China, however, many houses are purchased in a skeleton state, so tenants have to be involved in every detail of the interior work from the beginning to the end, from choosing the contractor to designing the layout and selecting materials. While this can be a burden, it can also be a rewarding experience to be able to freely decide on the interior design.

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  Author profile

  Yang Yan

  Chinese researcher living in Japan, providing information on the actual living conditions of overseas consumers, mainly in China. He is currently living a life where he refrains from purchasing new cooking appliances due to the lack of electrical outlets.

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  Editor profile

  Yusuke Tatsuda

  He is in charge of creating the Global Market Surfer website. I'm trying to figure out how to install Alexa-enabled lighting.