Photo journal: First-time homebuyers in Beijing

"We'd been looking for apartments since October and went to see this one in early December, and I just fell in love at first sight."

"It's in central Beijing, really close to my workplace," says Lucy Xu, who wants to protect her identity.

"I like the garden between the four buildings, and the building too - the material looks good, not cheap."

Lucy, a journalist, and her telecoms engineer husband chose a flat with two bedrooms and a living room.