Photographs of an
elderly couple's house in the middle of a newly constructed road go viral on
the internet.
Pictures of an
elderly couple's house standing in the middle of a huge dual carriageway as
they hold out for compensation to leave have gone viral on the internet in
China.
The photographs,
widely carried by Chinese state media and Internet sites on Friday, show a
partially demolished five-storey block of flats in the centre of the road in
Wenling city in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
The phenomenon is
called a "nail" house in China, as such buildings stick out and are
difficult to remove like a stubborn nail.
Luo Baogen, 67,
and his 65-year-old wife have waged a four-year battle to receive more than the
260,000 yuan ($41,300) compensation offered by the local government of Daxi,
the China Daily newspaper said.
"What a
sight. I hope they can carry on," said blogger Guangshen Zhuxiaozi on the
popular Sina microblog service.
Another who gave
the name Ha Pu Sheng said: "The common people are always disadvantaged.
The method of the government is so inhumane."
Local governments
in China can earn enormous revenue by evicting people to clear land and
reselling it to property developers, according to AFP news agency.
The road has yet
to open officially, and state media carried conflicting accounts over whether
Luo had finally agreed to accept an offer for his family's home.
Daxi government
officials declined to comment.
Despite their new
separation from their neighbours, the couple still have mains electricity, running
water and cable television, according to the Shanghai Daily.
Some bloggers
praised the government's restraint, saying authorities had so far refrained
from a forcible eviction and knocking down the building.
"I see
progress in local officials," said Wudi De Daniupai.
There have been
several previous "nail house" cases, including one in the
southwestern city of Chongqing in 2007 in which the property developer
excavated a deep pit around the holdout's home
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