Demolition officials and Chinese resident engaged in water-borne brinkmanship.
Most demolition contractors that have been around for a while will have come across the stubborn resident that, despite everything, refuses to leave their home, causing programme delays and intense frustration all round. But few demolition companies would vent that frustration by first demolishing all the neighbouring properties and then building a seven metre wide and four metre deep moat around the remaining property.
But then, they seem to do things rather differently in China, as Kunming resident Zhao Xing has found to his cost. It has been a week since Xing and his family have had difficulty getting in and out of their home, which is surrounded by a water-filled trench.
Located within the second ring road of Kunming, capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan province, Zhao’s house is the last remaining one in the village of Zhaojiadui, which has been flattened for a redevelopment project.
He has held out because a compensation deal has yet to be agreed between the 53-year-old homeowner and the demolition authorities since the project was announced at the end of 2009.
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