Won't sell up? Enjoy living in the middle of a motorway! Road is built around a house after elderly Chinese couple refuse to move



An elderly couple refuse to move as a road is built around their apartment



They insist the government's relocation compensation is not enough




A lone apartment building stands in the middle of a newly built road after an elderly couple refused to relocate.

Luo Baogen and his wife insist on living in the half-demolished building in the city of Wenling, in Zhejiang province, China because they believe that the relocation compensation offered by the government is not enough.

Now the only building left standing, the five storey block is a strange sight as cars drive around it while the couple remain living inside.

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An elderly couple refused to leave despite plans for the road a railway station to be built directly where the building stands

To ensure the couple’s safety, adjacent rooms in the building have been left intact but all their neighbours have moved out, according to local media.



The road paved through the Xiazhangyang village leads to the Wenling railway station and is yet to be officially opened.

Mr Baogen and his wife believe that the compensation on offer would not be enough to cover their rebuilding costs.

In the People's Republic of China, during most of the Communist era, private ownership of property was abolished, making it easy for residents to be moved on - but now the laws have been tightened up and it is illegal to demolish property by force without an agreement.

King of the road: The house stood strong in the middle of the highway after their entire neighbourhood had been torn down Room with a view: Luo Baogen looks out on the new road - yet to be officially opened - from the apartment building where all his neighbours moved out

Property owners in China that refuse to move to make way for development are known as 'Nail Householders' referring to a stubborn nail that is not easy to remove from a piece of old wood and cannot be pulled out with a hammer.

Earlier this year, Hong Chunqin, 75, and her husband Kung, who live in the two dilapidated buildings with their two sons, had initially agreed to sell the property in Taizhou, in Zhejiang province and accepted £8,000 in compensation.

But then she changed her mind and refunded the money once work on the road had started.

Proof: Mr Baogen stands in front of his home holding the certificate that states he owns the land beneath it, meaning that he and his wife could't be forced to move away Folorn: Mr Baogen looks wistfully across the new scenery, the tarmac from the new road waving haphazardly along the side of the building and demarcating the homeowner's land Calm before the storm: The balcony from Mr Baogen's home looked peaceful, but he was finally forced to move before the road was opened to traffic Thinking laterally: Unperturbed by the couple's decision to remain in the property, developers simply paved around the house The long road home: The house that appears to be plonked in the middle of a motorway is likely to prove an unusual landmark for passing motorists

Isolated: Niu Chuangen and Zhang Zhongyun's home stands on a small parcel of land amid the growing skyscrapers

Earlier this year, Niu Chuangen and Zhang Zhongyun dared to stand in the way of a local property developer in Zaozhuang, in the Shandong province.

As a result, the resolute couple, both in their 60s, have been left stranded on their tiny spot of land, while all around them the ground is dug up and skyscrapers erected.

The distraught pair were regularly threatened by gangsters and have had to fend over a number of attempts to illegally demolish their ramshackle home.

They were cut off from utilities in 2009 when a local developer started the enormous earthworks involved in building dozens of high-rise residential buildings in the area.



Refuse to move: Another family initially agreed to sell the property in Taizhou but changed their minds once work on the road had started Stranded: The couple were left without running water and electricity ground after real estate developers dug out the ground around it