A visitor takes pictures of a model of Beijing's downtown at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall
A visitor takes pictures of a model of Beijing's downtown at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, a museum showcasing the achievement of Beijing urban planning construction, in Beijing November 5, 2013. In defying four years of official cooling efforts, China's soaring house prices reveal an uncomfortable truth: government is one of the biggest obstacles to the success of taming the market. Homes in cities such as Beijing are more expensive by some measures than Britain or Japan, a dismal outcome for a central government campaign aimed at making homes more affordable to Chinese. House prices in September rose nationwide at their fastest pace in three years. Picture taken November 5, 2013. To match story CHINA-PROPERTY/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS REAL ESTATE TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)