A real estate agent holds a board advertising an apartment for sale, in Beijing
A real estate agent (R) holds a board advertising an apartment for sale, along a street in Beijing October 23, 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 October 23, 2013. To match story CHINA-PROPERTY/ REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS REAL ESTATE BUSINESS)