My husband and I moved into our apartment shortly after we got married in 2019. In Chinese culture it is quite common for parents to purchase a home for their adult children when they get married. My generous and thoughtful in-laws gifted us this place and it has been a huge blessing for us as newlyweds.

Most Chinese homes will have an enclosed balcony, which in Chinese is called, ‘yángtái’ (阳台). In our space, we actually have two separate yángtái, on opposites sides of the apartment.

(Photo 1) The larger yángtái in our apartment faces the rest of our complex and I love that it has plenty of space to grow plants. It gets extremely muggy and hot in the summer, so I’ve had to figure out which plants can handle the heat. So far, aloe vera, snake plant, and monstera have grown the best for me.

(Photo 2) Our storage cabinets on our larger yángtái fit perfectly here and I actually got to help pick out the materials/design when we were furnishing our apartment. I store our luggage, vacuum cleaner, and tools inside.

(Photo 3) On the opposite side of the cabinets is our little dryer space. We purchased this used dryer a couple years ago and I mainly rely on it during the winter months. Although, it takes forever to dry clothing with, so I think we will eventually get an upgrade. We also put up a set of blinds on this side of our yángtái to give us a little privacy since our neighbors can easily see into our apartment.

The south yángtái faces other apartment buildings in our complex, as well as some open areas where our neighbors meet to chat or exercise together. The north yángtái faces the other side of our complex, as well as Purple Mountain, a popular tourist/hiking location in our city. I’d have to say one of my favorite parts of our outdoor space is the view of the mountain, especially in the early morning or at sunset. Many apartments’ buildings in our city are quite tall, but thankfully the ones in our complex aren’t more than 10-11 stories. This makes it possible for many families to have a decent view of the mountain. I also love the fact that I have plenty of space for plants. Being able to see green in our place has helped with it becoming more of a home and it’s taught me a lot about keeping plants alive!

I grew up in the rainy and quiet Pacific Northwest, which is completely different from my life in Nanjing. My backyard was similar to what you would see in any suburb in America, but I did have lots of green grass to play on. My dad was really into growing all kinds of fruits and veggies in our family garden, and that is something I really miss with living in an apartment.

Most locals use their yángtái as a multipurpose room. It’s a place for drying laundry or growing plants, but it’s also used as a storage space. I’ve seen several yángtái in my complex that are stuffed with all kinds of things. This was a concern of mine before moving in because I’m not a fan of clutter and can’t function in a space that isn’t organized. One thing that I did to prevent our yángtái from being messy was getting storage cabinets put in. These have been so helpful and have been a place for us to store our luggage, Christmas decorations, and even our recycling

Another thing that you’ll notice from our outdoor space, beyond our apartment, is how our complex is like a shared backyard. We have designated walking paths that wind throughout the buildings and you’ll often see families strolling around after dinner. Since most people in China don’t have yards, the local parks or complex grounds become their outdoor space. We have grassy spots, small playgrounds, and even covered areas where the elderly gather to play cards or practice dancing.

Despite living in a bustling urban area, I do get out quite a bit. I live about 2 km from the mountain and I make an effort to go for a long hike a couple times a week. Most of the trails near where I live aren’t extremely strenuous, but they are enough to get my heart rate up and to clear my mind. I love the fact that the area is filled with dozens of historical monuments, including the tomb of a Ming dynasty emperor. My husband and I also attend yoga classes at a private studio located on the western side of Purple Mountain.  

The view from the north yángtái is especially gorgeous on a clear day. Even though Nanjing is brutally hot in the summer, we get the best air quality during that season. You can also see the north gate of our complex from this window.

It’s not a perfect sunset view, but I’ll take it!

You can see the obnoxiously, large telephone poll in the middle. Many of my neighbors have actually filed complaints to the property management, asking for it to be torn down. Recently there’s been construction in that area, but I have a feeling it will stay up. I really do hope it gets taken down at some point!

The outdoor space that I have here in Nanjing is really different from what I first experienced when I moved to China in 2013. I lived in a city outside of Wuhan that had a grungy, industrial vibe to it. When I was there, I felt depressed about the lack of nature surrounding my apartment complex. One time, I remember thinking to myself that I had forgotten the last time I heard a bird outside my window.

When I made the move to Nanjing, I was so excited about the fact that there were trees lining all the busy streets and that I could hear all kinds of birds while hiking Purple Mountain. My early China years really gave me a deeper appreciation for the green spaces that are cultivated in urban environments.