China's increasing housing prices are drawing protests from many sectors of the population.

A group of seven people in Changsha, in Central China's Hunan Province has started a petition to protest against the soaring prices.

Zhou Wenjian, one of the sponsors, said the campaign would also be held in about 20 other cities.

"Our goal is to collect as many signatures as possible," Zhou said.

"We hope to gain the support of at least 10 deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), and gain attention to our campaign at the annual plenary session of the NPC this March," he said.

"Rising housing prices have sparked public outcry, leading to cooperative groups wanting to build their own houses," said Zhao Zhiqiang, a sponsor of one group in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Members of these groups want to pool their money to buy a piece of land and then invite developers to build on it.

"Our calculation shows that this is much cheaper than buying directly from developers," Zhao said.

Last year, Zou Tao, a Shenzhen resident, called on people to boycott buying houses to protest against the high prices. His move won the backing of many.

Zhao Hangsheng, a professor with Zhejiang University, said the large-scale protest reflected the "dissatisfaction".

But Zhao does not support the cooperative approach to building houses as there were capital management risks and it could be accused of illegal fundraising.

(China Daily February 3, 2007)