The family of Wu Ping gave up defending their Chongqing house after reportedly reaching a deal with the authorities.

The "nail house" - so called because it refused to be hammered down - had been isolated in a huge construction pit after other households agreed to move.

The dispute became a cause celebre for ordinary Chinese people who have tried to fight property developers.

But the struggle came to an end on Tuesday, when a few dozen people looked on as the two-storey brick building was broken up by an earth mover.

A night watchman at the building site told AFP news agency: "The stubborn nail has been removed."

Mrs Wu, when told the house had been demolished, reportedly said: "Oh well."

New law

Her husband, Yang Wu, stayed in the house until the demolition, hanging out banners reading: "The legal private property of citizens cannot be violated."

The house was the last standing on a huge construction site

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The family had insisted on staying in their home, because they were not satisfied with the compensation the authorities were offering.

Mrs Wu said earlier that she had been offered an apartment in a planned new complex, or a cash settlement, but she turned both down.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the couple have now agreed to move into another apartment elsewhere in Chongqing.

Accusations of illegal land grabs and corruption have dogged China's fast-paced building expansion, and the family's resistance has been portrayed as heroic by state media.

China's parliament last week passed a landmark law to boost protection of property rights for individuals.