Shanghai’s ‘most stubborn nail house' is demolished

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When a homeowner refuses to sell his/her house to a developer aiming to build a mall or transport link through the house, the property is deemed a "nail house," and Zhang Xinguo, the owner of Shanghai's most famous "nail house," has finally agreed with the deal – after 14 years of living in the middle of a busy four-lane road.

Bulldozers and high-pressure water cannons were used to tear down the "nail house" within 90 minutes. /The Paper Photo

Back in 2003, Zhang’s family received a notice from local government asking residents around the area to move and give way to a road construction project. By then, Zhang’s family had owned the property for over 40 years, and a total of seven family members took residence in the three-story house.

The house standing in the middle of the road before demolition. /People's Daily Photo

“At the time, with a big family, we required six apartments in return, but the government could only promise four,” Zhang told Xinhua News Agency.

Failing to reach an agreement with the government, the family refused to move. The road construction project, however, went underway despite of their resistance.

By 2011, Zhang’s house became the only building remaining in the district, standing in the middle of busy traffic and forcing a wide four-lane road into two.

The vacant property after removal. /People's Daily Photo

Though the two parties failed to reach an agreement on compensation, the local government guaranteed their safety and continued providing electricity and water to the family.

While living in the property, the family had to endure loud traffic noise and witnessed many traffic accidents, which were partly due to the road's complicated layout needing to navigate around the house.

The situation continued for 13 years until last year, when local government established a resettlement office, sent officials to learn about the family’s situation and restarted the negotiation process.

Construction is now underway to convert the road into the planned four-lane road. /People's Daily Photo

“They spent time talking with us and truly understood our difficulties,” Zhang told CCTV. “I was moved by their patience and finally agreed to move.”

According to the final agreement, the family will receive four apartments and monetary compensation worth roughly 2.3 million yuan (350 thousands US dollars).

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency