Riders pass by newly-built apartments in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, July 29, 2014. Hangzhou will lift the ban on buying a second home in Xiaoshan and Yuhang districts starting Tuesday, according to Hangzhou Housing Security and Management Bureau. The ban is also lifted for buyers purchasing a house more than 140 square meters in downtown areas, according to the bureau. So far, around 20 regions, mostly second- and third-tier cities where inventories are high, have lifted or eased bans on ownership of more than one home, imposed in early 2011 as a tool to cool the property market. (Xinhua/Wang Dingchang) |