Is it a dream? No, it is just the work of an intelligent wireless house control system on show in the China (Beijing) International Real Estate and Building Technology Fair which can make such dream come true.

The system controller, at the size of the palm of your hand, can supervise all your home electric appliances, lighting and anti-burglar alarm system. You will also be able to have remote control of the system by using your mobile phone.

Estate developers hope that such high-tech devices will draw the attention of visitors to the show, all potential customers for the properties they sell.

Intelligent house control systems and property management are selling points in the four-day fair as developers spare no effort to meet the most advanced requirements of buyers.

Around three years ago, Beijing introduced its first residential area where the telephone system enabled tenants to pay gas, water, electricity fare via the network.

Between 1999 and 2001, 96 percent of the new housing with a total area of six to seven million square meters in Shenzhen have high-tech intelligence systems.

Some highly developed Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai have built the first batch of intelligent residential areas. In addition, the trend has been spreading rapidly to China's interior areas.

Currently, the Chinese Ministry of Construction has put the construction of high-tech residential quarters onto the priority agenda. The ministry predicts that these high-tech home help systems will become mainstream in five to 10 years. Electric home appliances and property management will keep pace with the growth of intelligent residential districts, according to a ministry official.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2002)