So like most houses rented in China, a good deal of maintenance and up keep is required. Within about a week, the house literally started falling apart. But in China, there is no such thing as a lemon law. If there's a problem, you complain about it, and soon you will have some (or all) members of the family over at your place to apply their expertise and handiwork to solve the situation. Yet, the level of expertise is rather low, and so I soon found myself, re-routing the cable for the TV and carrying the 60 pound 20 year old Sony from one room to another (the landlord's uncle brought up a good point--he is old and small, I am young and big).
Still, one of our doors could not actually close, and thus be locked, because the humidity and water had warped it so that it was larger than the door frame. Luckily, we had a way to fix that. Just take a bunch of wood off of the door, using an axe, wood shaving utensil and nails. The link will provide a little insight into this process. No carpentry skills required. Just a bag of tools and a lot of creativity (also a lot of yelling).
The plan worked, and although short sighted (winter months will mean little insulation), it was good enough. Like everything in China, it was a memorable experience. After the fact, when wood shavings were left everywhere, our landlord asked us if a maid would come to clean up today. We replied that she's coming tomorrow. Her response was "Good, Your courtyard is a mess". She then proceeded to leave...Only in China.
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