Nail houses have become symbols of powerful resistance to the world's fastest growing economy
Nail houses are the most ordinary, most often small houses standing like lonely and stubborn nails that are hard to drive into wood, in the middle of roads or modern high-rises. Residents of such houses resist large construction companies or local authorities and for various reasons, but most often due to too small compensation, in their opinion, refuse to leave their homes
As noted by "Expert Online", similar cases can be found in other countries, but in China they occur perhaps more often and are vivid and rare examples of resistance of a compliant and disciplined people to the authorities.
The main thing in the life of China is economic growth, and the authorities do not stand on ceremony when faced with manifestations of dissent on any issues. Not surprisingly, the owners of nail houses arouse universal interest and turn into national heroes. In order not to "multiply" the number of troublemakers, the government banned journalists and bloggers from writing about such cases because they became a symbol of resistance to the system.
One of the most famous cases of nail houses arose in 2007, when the small house of restaurant owner Wu Ping in Chongqing remained such a stubborn "nail" in the very center of a huge construction site. Wu Ping with her house became a city landmark. Huge crowds of onlookers gathered to watch her leave and return to her home. Doing this, given the construction, was extremely difficult.
However, the story of Wu Ping, like the vast majority of similar stories, ended quite peacefully. In the end, she reached an agreement with the construction company and left her home.
Another nail house. This three-story house with a Chinese flag on the roof, the last building in the area, remained standing in the middle of a new highway in Henan Province. According to local media, the owner of the house disagrees with the government's proposed compensation and categorically refused to vacate and move. The road went around the house and disappeared over the horizon. And the owner continues to live in the house surrounded by the road.
A half-destroyed residential building stands in the middle of a newly built busy highway in the city of Wenling, Zhejiang Province. The elderly owners of the house, Luo Baogen and his wife, fought for four years with the city authorities, who offered them too small a sum, in their opinion. In the end, they agreed to move, having received $41,300 for their house.
Perhaps the most famous nail house in China. Its photos went around all the world media. The owner of this house did not reach an agreement with local authorities on compensation for demolition. And a tiny peasant house, sunken into the ground, remained standing on an asphalt road, surrounded by tall new buildings. The house is located in the city of Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
A six-story house in the central business district of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. The house belongs to one family. Choi Chu Cheung and his wife considered too small the compensation offered by builders who want to build a financial center on this site. They demand that the construction company raise the compensation from $840 per square meter to $2,300.
And this is not a nail house, but a grave that relatives also refused to relocate due to a dispute over the amount of financial compensation