A nail that stood out gets whacked down.
That couple resisting property developers in Chongqing, the big southern city on the Yangtze, gave in last night. Bulldozers demolished their house.
There’s a blog post about this some eight days ago on this website. The matter got wide attention on the Chinese internet, and in stories in USA Today, the BBC and the New York Times.
The owners were the only ones among 280 families who refused an offer of compensation when the city said it wanted to raze the neighborhood so a developer could erect a shopping mall. Finally on Monday, the couple backed down, accepting an equivalent size home in a different neighborhood.
This excerpt from a Xinhua story today reflects sympathy for the homeowners:
Some local residents were sympathetic to the couple, but noted that "common people can't win against developers". "We shouldn't make trouble for the government," said Li Deshun, an old man living nearby.
Experts believe that the outcry reflects a growing dissatisfaction among common people about the way sites are commandered and buildings demolished. On China's portal websites like sina, 85 percent of those polled showed support for the couple.
China passed its landmark property law last month, highlighting the protection of private property.
Common people may love it as a symbolic protest to the powerful government, but this guy is nuts. I wonder what was the final financial settlement.
Posted by: ts | April 03, 2007 at 09:58 AM