Developers mustn't hold us to ransom

When will conflicts between people whose houses are to be demolished and real estate developers end? Realty developers always hope their bulldozers would level structures without resistance to pave the way for their projects. These conflicts have taught us some new words such as dingzihu (literally translated as "nail household") or yeman chaiqian (demolition in a barbarous manner).

Nail household refers to people who hold onto their houses, resisting the pressure of real estate developers, until their demands are met. It is an excellent expression that connotes helplessness and audacity both.

Such a household must muster enough courage and be psychologically prepared to sustain the pressure both from the developers and the local government.

A family in Chongqing is widely considered to be the toughest nail household in the country. It held on in its three-story building for almost three years until its demand has been met last year. The nail household was made to go through hell. Its electricity and water supplies have been cut, and their building has become a lonely structure.

For realty developers, a nail household is just another name for diaomin, meaning unruly or unreasonable residents. Its antonym is submissive residents.

When most residents were submissive toward every government decision and there were no legal codes to protect residents' rights, the nail sticking out quickly got hammered.

Thirty years ago when planned economy still dominated, members of any nail household would have been arrested and put behind bars because all large-scale evacuation of residents were for the construction of public projects. No one was supposed to possess any private property.

From this point of view, nail households represent an explicit progress both in terms of people's awareness about their property rights and the methods governments employ to resolve such disputes.

The change in government stance is welcome because land is no longer acquired for public projects alone. In many cases, residents have to be relocated to make way for the construction of commercial housing. Realty developers make huge amounts of money from such projects, as do local governments.

Urban land in China is in the State's possession. People can get the right to use it. But real estate developers do use barbarous means to demolish structures because they usually have local governments' permission for projects. They are supposed to be the money-vending machines for some governments taking up urban reconstruction. So it is quite natural that realty developers and local governments are in the same boat.

The most effective way for developers to get the lion's share from urban reconstruction at the cost of residents is to blur the difference between construction projects for public benefit and commercial housing. Land is acquired in the same manner for both types of projects.

I remember a person saying some time ago that the traditional courtyard house he had inherited from his parents was demolished, and he got a compensation of just 800,000 yuan. In sharp contrast his courtyard house in Beijing's downtown area would fetch at least 20 million yuan after being refurbished.

With more and more people becoming aware that realty developers have ripped them off, conflicts between residents and developers over compensation for demolished houses are rising.

Developers are trying out more barbarous ways to force residents to relocate. One such developer is reported to have released a slither of poisonous snakes in a residential area to drive residents away and clear the road for his project.

In Hunan province, bulldozers started tearing down houses in a neighborhood one early morning when most residents were still sound asleep, forcing them to flee in their sleeping gowns without enough time to take their belongings with them.

Something must be done to stop developers from terrorizing residents and getting their way. Fortunately, a mechanism has been set up in some places for talks between residents and developers, with the local government acting as mediator. That may be one of the ways out.

The author is professor of English at Xiamen University.

(China Daily 10/09/2009 page9)