Authorities in China have torn down a stubborn couple's house after a three-year stand-off that hindered a construction project and captivated the nation, a witness and state media said.

Wu Ping and Yang Wu have been fighting off bulldozers in downtown Chongqing since 2004, when they were one of 280 households asked to make way for a redevelopment project in the booming southwestern city of nearly 28 million.

Their two-storey brick building was clawed into dust by an earth mover as a few dozen reporters and people looked on late last night, said witness Zhang Shuguang, who photographed the event and posted them to his blog.