China's house-price slump drags on as Beijing battles to shore up the country's crisis-hit property sector

• Chinese house prices fell last month, according to data released Friday.
• The world's second-largest economy is grappling with a property crisis that's threatened to drag down growth.
• Policymakers have responded by cutting down-payment requirements and mortgage rates.

China's housing slump dragged on last month, official government data released Friday showed, underlining why Beijing opted to roll out a stimulus package in a bid to soothe the country's crisis-hit property market.