Architecture, interior design, legendary owners… Some houses' striking originality makes them hard to miss. But it's for a whole other reason that this house in Guangdong, China, made it on the news: it's right in the middle of a highway bridge.
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The owner, Mrs. Liang, refused to move for almost ten years. According to local media, she rejected the first alternative accommodation Chinese authorities offered her. She then allegedly requested not one, but four apartments to make up for the loss of her house. According to Pearvideo, the government then offered her an apartment next to a morgue, but the two parties were unable to reach an agreement. She wouldn't even accept financial compensation.
So, Mrs. Liang's house is now surrounded by a highway. And while most people wouldn't want to live in these conditions, it doesn't seem to bother her. She told the Daily Mail:
You think this environment is poor, but I feel it’s quiet, liberating, pleasant, and comfortable.
Not an isolated case
According to 9news, this Chinese woman's story isn't an isolated case. In China, it's fairly common for people to refuse to move for new infrastructure to be built. This phenomenon was dubbed 'dingzihu,' Mandarin for 'nail house.'
In 2012, it was the home of a sixty-something couple near Shanghai that made headlines for the same reasons. They had an apartment in a building that happened to interfere with a highway development project. They refused to sell to the state, who decided to proceed with the project anyway. They rased as much as they could of the building, and what remains of it is now caught in the middle of a highway.
Watch the video above to see more of this strange house.
