There are many different types of houses in Hong Kong, just as there are in America. Because Hong Kong covers only a tiny part of China, and because so many people live in Hong Kong, land and houses are very expensive. Many people live in government-assisted housing; that is, the government helps pay their rent. Each family rents a small apartment in a high-rise, such as these in the picture.

White-washed stucco houses, such as these, are very common in the villages outside of the city.

There are also many very wealthy people living in Hong Kong. Their mansions are very large and are kept in beautiful condition by their many servants. Their houses tend to be farther up the mountainsides to give the residents a view of the harbor or the sea. They are also in less danger of flooding during the typhoons.

This is Lung Mei Village, where I live with Mrs. Speirs. You can see part of her house behind the house on the left. All of the houses in the village are owned by one family, but many of them are rented out to others. Some of them are stucco, and others have white ceramic tile on the outside. All of them are two or three stories high so they don't need to take up much land.