The most famous “nail” sticking out in China has finally been hammered down. After a three-year standoff with developers, the home of Yang Wu and Wu Ping was demolished last night, ending a property rights protest that was the talk of the nation.
From 2004, the couple had refused to give up their home in Chongqing despite court orders, offers of compensation and the beseiging of their house by a construction company, which cut off their electricty and water and dug a 10-metre deep moat around the two-storey building.
Their struggle captured the imagination of a country at a time of spectacular – and often stressful – economic development. Land disputes are all too common as the authorities rush to build new roads, office blocks and factories despite only meagre legal protection for those affected.
There are countless thousands of holdouts – widely known as “nails” because they stick out and snag the plans of developers. None, however, has the notoriety of the couple in Chongqing. Yang holed up alone in the isolated home, threatening to fight off potential attackers and relying on supplies hauled up by rope from sympathisers, while his wife Wu acted as the family spokesperson to a throng of reporters.
They conceded on yesterday. Within three hours, mechanical diggers reduced the home to rubble, clearing the way for a new shopping mall.
The couple have yet to comment, but the Xinhua news agency reported that they agreed to move into a similar-sized apartment elsewhere in Chongqing. Earlier reports said they had been offered compensation of several million yuan.
Supporters, however, say their resistance remains an inspiration. “This is not an individual case, it concerns the rights of all those Chinese who say their homes were demolished. You are the people’s heroes!” declared one commentator on the Yangcheng Evening News’ website.
