I'll agree that the terms of "ownership" regarding real property in China is different than it is in the US.  I don't believe I mentioned "land" in any of my posts, just "real property", which in this case meant the building itself, not the land it sits on.  I do think you're accurate about the "right to use the land" concept.  There are increasingly more clashes between the government and people regarding land rights and adequate compensation so there are obviously differences between what the people think is right and what the government does.  I just disagreed with your initial statement of "The Chinese are not allowed to own real estate" and that it all belongs to the government. Seems like a blanket statement meaning that citizens can't own any real property in China. I'm pretty sure the rules about foreigners buying property in China are different than for Chinese citizens but not sure of the differences.