Clusters of container villages are cropping up around the boomtown of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, where real estate prices can rise as high as 20,000 yuan (2,900 dollars) per square metre, the People's Daily said on its website.

But an 18 square metre (193 square feet) container can be rented for an entire year for just over 2,000 yuan, the report said.

The containers, fitted with kitchens, bathrooms and windows, are gaining popularity among migrant labourers, builders and students, it said.

The fad follows a trend in New York and London where containers are used as the building blocks for apartments, the report said.

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