Real-life 'Parasite’ in China: House owner finds ex-homeowner living in basement for 7 years

In the film 'Parasite', the husband of a wealthy family's former housekeeper was shown to be secretly living in the basement for years to escape from debt collectors.

A man in China has recently witnessed some of the scenes from the South Korean Oscar-winning film Parasite play out in his home after he discovered his former homeowner secretly living in the basement of the house he bought seven years ago, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Li, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, bought a second-hand home for nearly 2 million yuan (Rs 2.4 crore) in 2018. Recently, while cleaning up the house, Li stumbled upon a door hidden behind a staircase. He followed it to reach a large basement which was fully equipped. It had a ventilation system, lighting, and even a small bar. Moreover, the place showed clear signs of someone living there. Li said it left him feeling “creeped out”.

He immediately contacted the previous owner, a woman identified only by her surname Zhang. Li accused her of hiding the existence of the basement, to which she reportedly replied: “I sold you the house, but I never said the basement was included.”

Zhang claimed the basement was her personal recreational space and was not part of the listed property or the sale agreement. “If the basement belongs to you, where am I supposed to relax in my free time?” SCMP quoted her as saying.

The incident came to light after Li decided to take Zhang to court and argued that since he paid full price for the property, the basement should legally be his. The court ruled in his favour and ordered Zhang to pay compensation.

Li's story soon gained a lot of attention on social media with users describing Zhang as a “real-life Parasite” -- a reference to the 2019 dark comedy film in which a poor family fakes their credentials to infiltrate a wealthy household as the family’s driver, tutor and housekeeper and briefly experience the luxuries of upper-class life when the wealthy family goes on holiday. But, the unexpected return of a former housekeeper reveals that her debt-ridden husband has been secretly living in the basement of the house for years.