Over the weekend, investors¹ flocked to Xiongan in droves, while online it has been the subject of social media buzz. A sleepy district in Hebei province has suddenly become the centre of China's property craze.

上周末，投资者们成群结队地驶向雄安，与此同时，雄安也成为网络社交媒体争相热议的话题。河北省一个冷清的地区突然成为中国房地产热潮的中心。

What caused the rush?

是什么引起了这股热潮？

It all began on Saturday when the Chinese government announced the location of a special economic zone (SEZ) which would effectively serve as an extension of Beijing.

这一切都始于星期六，当时政府宣布了经济特区的位置，而该经济特区实际上将作为北京的扩展地区。

The capital has been grappling with overcrowding and heavy pollution caused by a booming population, and officials are trying to relocate industries and encourage people to live further afield.

首都一直在努力克服由激增人口引起的过度拥挤以及严重污染等问题，官员们正设法进行产业迁移，并鼓励人民住在城区外围。

So-called Xiongan New Area, the 100 sq km (38.6 sq mile) zone is expected to eventually expand to 2,000 sq km - nearly three times the size of New York - and is a key component² of a massive "mega-region" developing around Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

所谓的雄安新区，这个方圆100公里（38.9平方英里）的地区有望最终扩大至2000平方公里，几乎是纽约的三倍大，并且这个地区是在北京、天津以及河北周围发展一个大规模的“超级区域”的重要组成部分。

What happened?

发生了什么？

Anticipation³ about a new possible SEZ - where the local authorities have more freedom to make their own economic rules to appeal to domestic and foreign investors - had been bubbling for months.

由于经济特区的地方政府可以更为自由地制定自己的经济准则以吸引国内外投资者，因此对可能出现的新经济特区的预测已沸沸扬扬了几个月。

So when authorities confirmed its location in Xiongxian and Anxin counties, south of Beijing, investors wasted no time. Hundreds of property punters descended⁴ on the area immediately after the announcement.

所以当官方确认经济特区的位置在北京南部的雄安和安新县的时候，投资者们就争分夺秒（地蜂拥而至）。官方公告一经发表，数百位炒房人就立刻涌向了这个地区。

Locals saw their normally quiet streets flooded with cars bearing Beijing and Tianjin licence plates, while hotels were completely packed out, according to local media.

据当地媒体报道，当地人看到平时安静的街道上挤满了挂着北京和天津牌照的汽车，与此同时，酒店也完全爆满了。

Homeowners were overjoyed to find themselves sitting on potential goldmines, with their property value skyrocketing overnight.

房主们发现自己一夜之间就坐在了潜在的金矿之上，自己的房产价值也在一夜之间暴涨，因而喜不自胜。

So good news for everyone?

对所有人而言都是好消息吗？

Alarmed by the rocketing prices, the government moved in on Sunday to burst the nascent⁵ property bubble by suspending all new sales in the region. It also imposed strict regulations on who could develop and sell property in the area, as well as restrictions⁶ on residential⁷ permit registrations⁸.

政府因飞速上涨的房价而感到震惊，于是在星期天介入，宣布暂停该地区所有新的出售以打破新生的房地产泡沫。政府还对在该地区进行房产开发和销售的人员实行了严格的规定，并强制推出了对居住证登记的限制性规定。

But that hardly deterred⁹ investors, who simply redirected their attention to areas just outside Xiongan. Home prices in neighbouring counties have now started soaring too, reported the Global Times.

然而这几乎不会让投资者们打消念头，他们只是把注意力转向了雄安以外的地区。据环球时报报道，如今雄安临县的住房价格也开始疯长。

Xiongan, it seems, is yet another chapter in China's obsession¹⁰ with property.

雄安似乎还是成为了中国炒房热潮的新篇章。