Elderly couple refuse to sell land to government, so ...

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Grand Master

Hum

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AN elderly Chinese couple from the country's Zhejiang province refused to sell their land to the government in order for a new motorway to be constructed - so the government simply built the motorway around their home.

The couple say that compensation offered is not enough to cover rebuilding costs, according to local media.

It is reported that the couple were offered in the region of ?10,000 for their home, and despite initially accepting the offer, they later returned the money.

Their house is the only building left standing on a road which is paved through their village.

Despite the couple living in one apartment in the five story building, authorities left the entire structure intact for safety reasons.

Property laws in the communist country have recently been changed making it illegal to demolish a property without agreement.

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post-37120-0-31826600-1353686135.jpg

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Grand Master

M_Lyons10

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Property laws in the communist country have recently been changed making it illegal to demolish a property without agreement.

Wow. This line for the win... lol How progressive of them... :rolleyes:

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Grand Master

Hum

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Property laws in the communist country have recently been changed making it illegal to demolish a property without agreement.

Wow -- if we could only get such respectful Laws in the USA.

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siah1214

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Wow. This line for the win... lol How progressive of them... :rolleyes:

In the "free and capitalist" land of Pennsylvania, if the government decides a road is more important than your home, they hand you a pile of money and kick you out of your home. It's called eminent domain, look it up.

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rfirth

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In the "free and capitalist" land of Pennsylvania, if the government decides a road is more important than your home, they hand you a pile of money and kick you out of your home. It's called eminent domain, look it up.

That's what I was actually expecting to read about when I clicked on this.

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Grand Master

Nashy

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Wow. This line for the win... lol How progressive of them... :rolleyes:

Do you know what you're talking about?

Most western countries can resume land at any time. Sure, you might get to discuss compensation, but it's never going to be great, and you're always going to have the land resumed whether you like it or not.

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Grand Master

Japlabot

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Picture doe not make sense, they literally built the motorway round the building and only left a narrow bit for cars to get round the edge?? :s surely they should have made it like this one http://goo.gl/maps/zh2jh

No I think that the idea is that the government are trying to drive them out by making them mad that they are living on a highway or failing that waiting until they are dead (they are elderly) and then they will just take it down and pave over.

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Grand Master

Hum

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Their house is in the middle of a motorway! How long before they get hit by a car and die? :huh:

The sheer volume of car exhaust may kill them pretty quick. :s

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Glassed Silver

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The sheer volume of car exhaust may kill them pretty quick. :s

I'd assume the car exhausts in a big city in an "appropriate" street is much worse than there, where there's even likely to be a little more wind to carry away a great deal of toxic air.

@story:

I'm really impressed here, especially after the Olympics debacle a couple of years ago where people were forced out of their houses.

China's definitely having a better set of rules here than many of us Western nations and we should look up to them in that regard.

Especially as we often link them to the concept of "surrender for the good of the people" and us being "so free" and so "individual" and enjoying all our human rights.

Ladies and gentlemen, credit where credit is due: China's got it right and we suck in this case.

Yes, the construction of the road could have happened in a safer way.

Yes, one could blame them for offering them less than what they might need (this is where some Western nations do better), but:

At least they CAN chose to stay where they are.

Are they kind of forced into this due to the lack of fair compensation? Apparently, but I'd love to know that I am solely responsible to give up my home if I always pay the bills, because you can really fall in love with the house you're living in and no state should touch that.

End of story.

Glassed Silver:mac

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Grand Master

remixedcat

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I think they should have sold the house to them to avoid stress (as I hate conflict and I would hate to dread each day worrying about what could happen to my house if someone were to be mad at me for not complying with the sale) and causing a problem with the roads.... the place does not look like anywhere I'd like to live and even though it may be sentimental to them and I understand them wanting to keep it, however the risks are not worth it, as it presents risks to both them and motorists. Not a good thing to cling to in that event.

Also if the roads were too close to my house and so much has changed it would not be the same house I fell in love with...

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Nashy

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AN elderly Chinese couple from the country's Zhejiang province refused to sell their land to the government in order for a new motorway to be constructed - so the government simply built the motorway around their home.

The couple say that compensation offered is not enough to cover rebuilding costs, according to local media.

It is reported that the couple were offered in the region of ?10,000 for their home, and despite initially accepting the offer, they later returned the money.

Their house is the only building left standing on a road which is paved through their village.

Despite the couple living in one apartment in the five story building, authorities left the entire structure intact for safety reasons.

Property laws in the communist country have recently been changed making it illegal to demolish a property without agreement.

source

They accepted and the house has been destroyed.

Authorities have demolished a five-storey home that stood incongruously in the middle of a new main road and had become the latest symbol of resistance by Chinese homeowners against officials accused of offering unfair compensation.

Xiayangzhang village chief Chen Xuecai told The Associated Press the house was bulldozed on Saturday after its owners, duck farmer Luo Baogen and his wife, agreed to accept compensation of 260,000 yuan ($39,500).

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/lone-chinese-home-on-main-road-destroyed-20121201-2aof5.html

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