E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
China Daily via Reuters
A car stops beside a house in the middle of a newly built road in Wenling, China, on Thursday. Two couples have refused to agree to allow their homes to be demolished.
BEIJING – In the “there today, gone tomorrow” world of Chinese construction, entire communities can often disappear and be replaced by high rises or other public works in a matter of weeks or months without any sign of its past residents.
Not so for the drivers on this new road in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang.
Municipal officials in Wenling had been planning a new access road that would lead to a new railway station just outside the city.To make way for the road though, city planners decided they would have to tear down a section of homes in the nearby village of Xiazhangyang that were in its path.
Through methods that range at times from fair compensation all the way down to cajoling, intimidation, beatings and forced evictions, local governments tend to get their way when they have their hearts set on projects.
However, every once in a while, even after the majority of landowners in an area are persuaded to give up their property, one or two steely owners will stand their ground either on principle or determination to squeeze out more compensation from the government.
These lone homes that stand in the way of progress have been nicknamed “nail houses,” on account of the difficulty in prying them out of the earth.
In this case, two families who occupy this five-story building have refused to hand over their property, arguing that the compensation being offered by city officials was insufficient.
One of the residents, Zhang Ling, 46, told the U.K’s Mirror newspaper: “They didn’t offer us enough compensation to leave, so we’re staying.”
More China coverage on NBC's Behind the Wall blog
The financial motivations for these nail house owners to hold out are understandable: Real estate prices in China have skyrocketed in recent years due in no small part to inflation and a lack of other financial vehicles for Chinese to invest their money here on the mainland.
Insufficient compensation from local officials then would make it extremely difficult for homeowners to buy new properties in the areas they live in now, much less closer to the cities that have swallowed up their homes.
Perhaps wary of looking like they are bullying residents, Wenling officials have gone to the building owners with offers, but have been roundly rejected each time. Nevertheless, in a sign of the times here, the government went ahead with the road, simply building around the dilapidated structure.
The road has yet to be officially opened, but homeowner Zhang seemed optimistic about his plight.
“It could be a great opportunity for us,” Zhang told the Mirror. “We could open up a drive-though shop on the ground floor.”
Leave a Comment:
In US, the homeowners will be paid in market price, compensation, relocation fee . . . But it is seldom happened , for the public project has been planned away from the housing/residential areas.
China's transportation department can plan to make a detour/turn to stay away from the existed residential areas, or paying up the market value price for the property, relocation fee, and other compensation, because the land is the land of the homeowner.
The government in The US doesn't pay market value.Once a freeway is proposed and marked on maps,those properties under the area to be used develope a "cloud" on the porperty and it is almost impossible to get a loan or sell.So what happens? Vacant houses happen as homeowenrs realizing the inevitable,vacate the properties and quit paying thier mortgages.Next property values plummet,then the governemnt comes in and produces appraisals indicating values well below what they would be worth had not that map been published.It is a scam by governments,land developers and contracters to beat up the little guy.Read below and when you have finished,find me a freeway built in an expensive neighborhood.You will go blind reading while looking for that freeway!
mas -
Generally not correct, recent court rulings (a few years back) has made it so government and the private sector must pay a value for the property in its future state or the current market value (whichever is greater). If property is being taken for community improvements (i.e.: to build a shopping center) the value of the property is what it is worth when it becomes a shopping center.
If the use of the property (a road for example) will de-value the property in the future state then the comparative market value is what prevails. If it can be shown that current market value is affected by future plans to build a road then that can be discounted and a higher comparative market value will be used.
Are there exceptions or problems to this rule ... I am sure. Generally the problem is that owners have in their mind a higher value than reality. Things are different in CHina I am sure.
Oh npo ! I think you are incorrect if you understand the comdenation process.When a comdenation order is proposed ,the properties are valued as of that date or within reasonal time of that date.The "lines" indicating a new freeway,expressway or other governmental use of properties are drawn years before that date.When the lines are drawn,lenders will generally refuse to lend on the properties under the "cloud" of the proposed map.That alone causes property values to drop and properties to vacate with existing owners refusing to pay for properies they cannot get a loan or sale.The neighborhood generally crashes and it becomes a blight.After that is when the governemnt comes in and aythorizes the purchases of properties,almost always at reduced prices from their past highs.Try reading past results of the introduction of new freeways,road extensions,expressways or other government proposed projects.Take in to consideration what property values were before the government actions and see how the previous property owners were sacraficed for the needs of governemnt.I have personally been involved in too many of these to not understand what happens!
Mas
I am sure there are strange stories to be told regarding the taking of property but what I am saying is from general experience on the Board of Assessment Review and from my training as a property appraiser.
Yes
Can happen but this is an unusual event but most often the property owner will retain a market value at the time the condemnation process is initiated. An appraisal is done to like properties in the area that are not affected by the proposal, if it can be shown that the proposal was the primary cause of loss of value then the owner is most likely to get the higher value just as the owner is likely to get the value for the property in its future state if that future value is higher [i.e. residential to commercial etc.].
The government has to show how they arrived at their value.
They should do the same thing to the northern part of Santa Monica.I love to watch those limousine libturds scream like a pig!No,they are happy and vote for any new freeway extension as long it isn't in their neighborhood.It has always been this way,the federal government has always sponsered dividing slums from adjacent neighborhoods by seperating them with a nice wide,fenced freeway,which in the most part,racist.The rich areas like Beverly Hills,Santa Monica,Brentwood,BelAire are always avoided even if building a freeway through their neighborhoods would sunstantially benefit everyone else.They run everything and most are not republicans.I guarantee you,you would have an easier time finding a white buffalo in Santa Monica than a republican.That is true of most of the neighborhoods listed above.Those libturds are wonderful people just don't ask them to live by the same rules as everyone else who lives in less desirable areas as they live!
They are Liberals? BS They're Republicans? I'll bet a dollar to a dime if you take a survey that thay are pretty much 50-50. You just know of 2-3 that happen to be Democrats and are assuming they are all Democrats.
maso98, Not even "Google Street View" can get into most of those gated neighborhoods in California. It shouldn't surprise you that no highways are planned through those neighborhoods of the "super rich". It's like asking Rockefeller to allow his East Coast estates to be invaded by the railroad. Not going to happen :).
mas
Do you think that maybe the cost of property in these areas are too expensive to justify the cost of taking? Maybe it is smarter to take property that is less developed, less desired and less costly to build a road.
As for the rest of your post you make a lot of unsubstantiated statements, maybe some references would support your statements.
That is exactly the primise used to justify where freeway,expressways,street extension and other government easements are applied.It is the "cost".What about the human cost of having thousands of poor people who may no longer be able to qualify or afford new homes while letting whose of means avoid everything.In Santa Monica,they didn't like the homeless shelters in one park.The wealthy there banned together and had the occupants forcibly removed.They would take these folks to downtown LA and literally dump them because Bamby,the wife, didn't want to have their kids see poverty.They will write checks just as long as that is all they have to do.They don't want to get dirty helping others!
Larry-3867986
Fake photoshop pic. Another ridiculous MSN story.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No, it's not fake photoshop, it's real & there's another similar in another city. The people in both homes are holding out for more money, which they won't get. Their neighbors took the offer and have moved on with their lives. The people that do stupid things like this usually are ignorant & illiterate & listen to advice of others whose lives aren't affected. The people like those in this house, are the same type that move into the city & dump the trash cans on the sidewalk looking for plastic bottles, then leave the trash laying there. They urinate & defecate on the sidewalks, blow their nose on the floor in restaurants and stores, pick their nose on subways & buses and wipe it on whoever is standing close with their back to them. They will knock a child to the ground, just to get in front of them getting on a train or bus.
Zheng He, with a nick like that, I am assuming you are Chinese and familiar with some Chinese culture, but do you really know these specific people enough to accuse them of such disgusting things specifically and personally?
I know people get pushy in a crowd too, but to have such specific accusations about these particular people in this article, if you don't know them yourself, it sounds like you are stereotyping and possibly racist.
At least someone has the cojones to stand up to the corrupt local Chinese officials.
Let me get this straight. ..In the U.S. we have eminent domain laws that could force an owner to sell their prorperty below market value , but in China the owner can say no and wait for a better price...???
Pretty telling that in tyrannical, fascist China a person has a better chance of fighting off eminent domain than a person in the United States. Which one is the land of "freedom" again? LMAO
Bobg,
Although I agree with what you are saying. I would like to remind you that the financial industry got this country into the situation that it is in now.
No,the rich did and everyone should understand,most of the rich are not republicans but are democrats.
That is soo funny, all this time we thought that China was such a depressed country with no human rights, and this happens? Americans should question the constitutionality of "eminent domain".
Even though this is appears to be foreign to Americans on the eminent domain issue and seems to be some kind of freedom issue that parts of China enjoy, In America you won't find any residential homes in the middle of a four lane highway :)
They should do a scene in the next Cars movie. The Chinese family with the house in the middle of the highway :)
I wonder what speed limit they will set around these poor peoples houses? And what about lighting? I am guesssing this family is not able to afford adequate lighting.
My guess is they will set a speed limit of 80 mph and no ligthing to further intimidate these people to move . haha.
Bizarre story all the way around and great fodder for the stand up comedians :)
This is one instance in China. There are likely thousands of other situations there where the green uniforms show up and "escort" you out long before it would arrive at this stage... so I wouldn't go singing the praises of freedom in China just yet.
Arcturus, that's the humor of the whole thing that you don't seem to get. In China, people have the freedom to live in the middle of the highway! While that might not be advisable, it is interesting. American's do no not have that right when it comes to a large highway project. Is this freedom desirable in this case? Probably not, but interesting just the same, because there is no way that could happen with an American highway.
Think of all the delicious roadkill right outside their door. Might not have to shop anymore.
It might be a problem for the toddlers going outside to play too. :)
The only way this house could survive is if a major "round about" English style road is built around it. Otherwise, some truck convey is going to crash into eventually. Which may be the goal of the local authorities to finally get these people to move. :)
These 2 families standing up to the Chinese Government. Our government should learn from them.
China doesn't have an equivalent of Kelo v New London (the US Supreme Court ruling that allows private land to be condemned and turned over to new developers solely for their economic benefit).
Most of what we read about people's homes being taken and destroyed in China to build infrastructure, condos or shopping malls are actually not condemnations at all, but rather renters getting evicted by the lands' owners after those lands were purchased from under them.. It's just that China has many more renters and fewer owners than the US does, so it seems to us to be a large scale phenomena.
The difference here is that these families owned their building.. thus, the only way to get rid of them is to buy them out. It's a bit like that woman in Atlantic City that Trump had to build his casino around.
I've heard of the old woman in the middle of Atlantic City who wouldn't sell. She was around 85 or 90 when they tried to take her house and didnt care how much money they wanted.
But the Chinese house in the highway thing is another issue. Building Casinos around a legacy residence is one thing, but building a 4 lane freeway around a home is entirely different. This whole story is very funny. . They should send a google street car to that comic event :)
BTW, I don't pretend to be any kind of expert on China, but it was devastating to many ancient cultures and millions of people when the 3 rivers dam flooded many occupied areas. People were free to stand their ground, but it might end up under 20 feet of water.
Exactly.. it's just a lack of regulatory alternatives to deal with these situations. I'm not saying they're right.. I'm just explaining the legal logic. There is one, it's just messed up.
Ironic that in "Communist" China it appears people are able to more successfully resist eminent domain as opposed to those living in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, isn't it?
Considering the facts are that the U.S. imprisons more of its citizens than any country in the world and we have a wonderful Homeland Security to keep us "safe".. well, really, Land of the Free & Home of the Brave?
Perchance we need a new slogan?
Johnathan, exactly. That's the question that is highlighted by this story. Even though these idiots are living in the middle of a highway, Nobody could steal their land.
It is very funny that they just carved the highway around this building though. Maybe they could use it for hanging cameras and monitoring traffic around this obvious speed bump? :)
All that side-story on why owners want to keep their homes and no information about this home's status beyond
"they didn't offer us enough money".
The road is literally built around the home, indicating that the government has every intention of getting that home, otherwise they just would have run the round beside the house.
Poor journalism! I stil want to know what the deal is with the house being in the middle of the road!
This happened in Las Vegas at the Mirage Hotel (or the Bellagio, can't remember which.) They bought everything up for their parking lot except this one beat up, old apartment building. The lady wouldn't sell. So there's this one old building right in the middle of the parking lot with low-rent apartments. I used to have a friend who lived there. This was around 2000 and I moved away so I'm not 100% sure it's still there. In Steve Wynn's face, ha ha.
Good money to be made on parking.
No one in America owns their land. Think this is not true. just stop paying your property tax and see what happens. We buy the land that the government then taxes us on. They control how much the tax is and how often it is collected. And people are worried about communists.
Loridresser Chute, picture this. The unions want more and more money, so the prices go up and everyone pays the price. Now you are suggesting that unions are not oone bit a part of the problems. Intersesting, it would be nice to have cheaper prices on items but with unions they have driven the prices sky high. I will submit that corporations that ship their jobs overseas to save money should extremely lower their prices because of the cheap labor. I don't understand why Nike is allowed to charge hundreds of dollars for a pair of shoes that costs pennies to make. So it started with labor unions wanting more and more, and now everyone is complaining that big corporations want more and more. Double edged sword kind of problem, not entirely the problem of one side or the other. If you look at the history of labor unions , i would agree they were needed back in the day. But since that time government regulations have made unions nothing but money grabbing whores. The regulations they initially sought, shorter work day, shorter work week, breaks and lunches are now all controlled by the government. So the unions want this and they want that and they want the people that invented their lively hood to give up more and more. Why don't the unions take their money and create their own companies and stick it to the man that way. Nope that would require thought and spending of their own money to make that happen, so that is out. We will just keep waiting for the socalist to re-distribute the money that way they can keep their money and still take someone else's. The more you people say, the more of our arguement you prove for us. So keep up with name calling because that is what you guys do best and keep showing YOUR anger everytime someone disagrees with you because eventually someof you will see the real problem. Already, CNN is starting to realize that the democrats are playing the games not the republicans and they will know who to blame when it doesn't work out your way.
if that was my house i would have hotty baristas serve coffee through drive through