In China, a country constantly in flux, demolition is a fact of fact. Developers and local officials are continually seeking the next fertile ground to seed their latest urban project, often an office building, mall, or condo. It has become all too easy for those of us without vested interests to ignore the buildings that... Read more »
China’s most eye-catching tomb is finally scheduled for removal. First reported in Western media on December 6 by NBC News’s Photo Blog — which sadly didn’t use the term “nail grave,” so now it doesn’t show up on the first page of Google search results — the tomb in Taiyuan, Shanxi province belonged to a... Read more »
For the last three or more years, rumor’s swirled over “restoration” plans in the Drum and Bell (Gulou) neighborhood to create a large plaza or “Time Cultural City.” It looks like the local government and developers are finally going forward with it. Here’s AFP’s latest report on the subject, which actually gives a date: Notices... Read more »
Changsha 2008 Ogle Earth has provided us a unique chronology of some of China’s more famous nail houses, and presented them “in geospatial context.” Writes Stefan Geens: Every so often, the master plans of developers don’t align with those of an existing home owner. The negotiations, coaxing and intimidation that follow can reach absurd levels,... Read more »
Show’s over, folks. The “Most Awesome Nail House” in Wenlin, Zhejiang province — a three-story residence standing in the middle of a highway near a railway station — has been demolished after the owner, 67-year-old Luo Baogen, signed an agreement with property developers. “Well, I am willing to relocate,” Luo said. The terms of the relocation agreement haven’t... Read more »
The owner of a house near a railway station in Taizhou, Wenlin, Zhejiang province is refusing to vacate his home because it’s his and fuck roads. Luo Baogen, 67, and his 65-year-old wife rejected an offer of 260,000 yuan plus two small building sites, claiming it wasn’t enough compensation. The story has spread on Sina... Read more »
We know that some cops carry firearms in China — certainly the special-duty officers, and security personnel in highly sensitive areas — but it’s rare enough that I’ve never actually seen an officer holding a gun in all my years here. So you can imagine my surprise upon hearing this story, headlined, “Villager shot dead... Read more »
Two landmark buildings in Chongqing Municipality's Chaotianmen are no more. On Thursday, a pair of 107.2-meter (352 feet) skyscrapers -- the Three Gorges Hotel and a passenger port -- became the highest in China to go kablooey. These 32-story structures released 63,000 cubic meters of debris in front of hundreds (thousands?) of eager onlookers.
China Digital Times curates a news story from Caijing reporting that yesterday before dawn, thousands of residents clashed with hundreds of riot police in Zuotan, part of the city of Foshan, Guangdong province. According to Caijing: “Zuotan officials secretly arranged for the sale of land in three neighborhoods to developers. The officials thought they could claim... Read more »
