Guizhou Authorities Demolish Chen Tianming's 10-Storey Home After 8-Year Permit Battle
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 22
Guizhou Authorities Demolish Chen Tianming's 10-Storey Home After 8-Year Permit Battle
7 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 22
Xingyi officials tore down Chen Tianming's 10-storey home within hours after a final May 18 notice, reducing the structure to its original single-storey bungalow.
Authorities had labeled the 43-year-old's 200,000-yuan ($29,000) build illegal in August 2024, saying the bamboo-braced, plywood addition lacked permits and posed a safety risk.
Chen and his parents were escorted away after Wednesday's deadline, his phone was confiscated and he was held while demolition crews cleared the tourist-drawing structure.
The clash grew out of a 2018 redevelopment push that largely razed Chen's village for a planned resort; after that project faltered, he kept building upward in defiance.
Chen said he does not regret the project and is seeking legal help to have the forced demolition ruled illegal, hoping that could let him rebuild.
Was demolishing China's whimsical 'Miyazaki' house a necessary act or a cultural loss?
As China develops its countryside, what is the future for individualistic 'nail houses'?