When a large-scale project requires land appropriation, the most common outcome is for all parties involved to reach an acceptable agreement to move forward, but in China things don't usually end that quickly. Starting in 2007, the first nail houses emerged: properties owned by people who resist demolition because they consider the financial offer insufficient, or because they reject development altogether. If you thought a house in the middle of the road was something exclusive to cartoons, you need to see this gallery…
Of course, these conflicts are not unique to China. The concept of the "holdout" is well known in the West, and has even been brought to the movies more than once. The difference is that films teach us heroic victims willing to fight against everything, while in real life, the owners of nail houses in China must live inside half-demolished spaces, without water and electricity.
https://old.neoteo.com/shenzhen-el-silicon-valley-de-china/Why Does This Happen?
Why does this happen? The available information indicates that China passed its first real private property law in 2007. Before, the situation was very favorable for developers, who offered miserable compensation to owners, or even resorted to bribing officials to plant false charges and issue arrest warrants. With the new law, the legal position of owners strengthened, and if the number isn't convincing, these things happen...
Gallery: Nail Houses Resisting Demolition
