We have all seen wonderful houses that have lost their charm because a busy highway or road, or electricity pylons have been built nearby. But the story of this ‘Nail House’ in Guangzhou, China is beyond anything we could have imagined
After ten years of dispute with the government, Chinese government has now built a bridge around a tiny house in Guangzhou after its ‘stubborn’ owner refused to sell the property to the government for the past 10 years. Pressed between the two wings of the motorway highway, Haizhuyong Bridge, the property is called the ‘nail house’ or ‘dingzihu’ in Mandarin. This type of house is a prime example of when the owner refuses the compensation offered by a developer to have the property demolished.
According to a TV station, the house is 40 square meters and is now in the middle of a two-lane road. Not really what you are looking for in a house; almost no light, a lot of noise and air pollution.
Speaking to a news agency, Liang said, “You think this environment is poor, but I feel it’s quiet, liberating, pleasant and comfortable.” She further added that she didn’t mind staying there and cared little about what people may think of her.
According to Liang, she was provided with a property beside a morgue and that’s why she didn’t want to relocate. On the other hand, she had asked for four apartments as compensation, but the government had only agreed to provide her with two.
The government of Haizhu district said that officials earmarked the plot on Huandao Road for demolition in 2010 to build the Haizhuyong Bridge, reports a Chinese publication.
The government has stated that they will continue to negotiate with Liang. Previously she was offered many flats and cash, but she refused to budge. However, engineers have studied the earmarked spot well so that Liang’s stay there is safe beneath the bridge.
Ms Liang is the only person out of a total of 47 households and seven firms that still lives there. All of the others had moved away by last September, officials said.
