No longer living in the fast lane: Elderly Chinese couple finally give in and let bulldozers pull down their house after motorway was built around it



Elderly couple refused to have their home demolished, saying the compensation offered was not enough



But they are thought to have accepted an increased amount from the Chinese Government

House became a symbol of resistance against authorities that often pressure residents into making way for developers




At five storeys high, it stood in the middle of a newly-built motorway as a symbol of resistance.

But after refusing to relocate while authorities built a giant road around their home, an elderly Chinese couple has finally admitted defeat.

In front of a crowd of onlookers, bulldozers and diggers moved in to tear the stubborn house to the ground.



Luo Baogen and his wife previously insisted on staying in the half-demolished building in the city of Wenling, Zhejiang province, because they believed that the relocation compensation offered by the government was not enough.

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Beginning of the end: Work began on the house's deconstruction on Saturday city of Wenling, Zhejiang province. It is understood the couple finally accepted a compensation deal to relocate

Tumbling down: Onlookers gather to watch the house being demolished. It had become a symbol of resistance against developers

Standing strong: Luo Baogen, 67, who lived in the house on the outskirts of Wenling in east China's Zhejiang province, previously refused to leave as he said the compensation offered was no enough

The couple were the only the only remaining occupants of their neighbourhood after the road was constructed to lead to a new rail station on the outskirts of the city.

The road had not yet been officially opened while the couple still lived in the property - a situation that would have made their occupancy even more dangerous.



Duck farmer Luo, 67, had previously refused the Government's paltry compensation of 220,000 yuan (£22,000) for relocation. He spent 600,000 yuan (£60,000) completing the house.

It is understood that the couple finally accepted an increased offer of 260,000 yuan (£26,000) so see their home demolished.

Chinese authorities often pressure residents into accepting compensation packages if their homes are in the way of development projects. Extreme methods, such as cutting off utilities, are often used to hasten the eviction.

But Luo's village chief said that the man had voluntarily accepted the offer and had tired of the attention his home was receiving.



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

King of the road: The house stood strong in the middle of the highway after their entire neighbourhood had been torn down

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

Village chief Chen Xuecai said: 'Luo Baogen received dozens of people from the media every day and his house stands in the center of the road. So he decided to demolish the house.'

To ensure the couple’s safety, adjacent rooms in the building had been left intact after all their neighbours had moved out.



Real estate has been a significant driver of the People's Republic of China's economic prowess in recent decades.



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.

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

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

Thinking laterally: Unperturbed by the couple's decision to remain in the property, developers simply paved around the house

Rapid development has cost tens of thousands of objecting people their homes, as they are eventually forced out to make way for new housing, factories and other business ventures, creating a major source of unrest.



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.



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