Sometimes, taking the money really is the better choice
The concept of a dīngzihù, also known as a nail house, is becoming more and more common across China. It refers to situations where homeowners refuse to leave their property, even when big construction projects are planned. As a result, buildings or infrastructure end up going up all around their homes. The term “nail house” comes from developers who compare these homes to stubborn nails that just won’t budge or be pulled out.
In the People’s Republic of China, private ownership of land was done away with, which means the government technically owns all property and has the power to build wherever it sees fit.
This situation became more visible in the 1990s when commercial development really took off. Shopping malls began to pop up in heavily populated neighborhoods, and developers often offered very little compensation to persuade residents to give up their homes and move out.
In 2007, China introduced its first modern private property law, which helped things a bit. But despite the law, plenty of these nail houses still exist today and many stick out like sore thumbs in the middle of otherwise uniform developments.
As highlighted by the South China Morning Post, Ye Yushou, a local tofu vendor, lives in one of these stubborn homes. His two-story house now sits in the middle of a bustling construction site, surrounded by constant noise, clouds of dust, and the daily rumble of heavy equipment. Things might have turned out very differently if he had just accepted the offer made to him in 2022—1.6 million yuan, which is about $220,000.
But Yushou turned down not just the money, but also the offer of two new homes. Instead, the government pushed ahead and simply built around his house, which now sits between the G206 highway in Jinxi County and China’s Jiangxi province. The site has earned the nickname ‘Eye of Jinxi’. And since workers have even created a dedicated access path for residents, it looks like the house is there to stay and there won’t be another offer coming anytime soon.
Yushou’s unusual living situation has come back into public attention because the highway is now open to traffic ahead of the Spring Festival, a major holiday in China.
While speaking to visitors gathered near his home, Yushou explained that he had actually demanded 2 million yuan and three new homesteads instead of what the government was willing to offer him.
There’s no clear explanation of exactly how the talks fell apart. But according to reports, three neighboring homes were demolished to make way for the project, while the road was simply built around Yushou’s house, leaving it completely boxed in.
Given that the highway is designed to circle the city and reportedly cost a massive 460 million yuan around $63 million – it seemed highly unlikely that the government would let one lone house stand in the way of the entire plan.
Still, Yushou says he did try to fight for what he believed was fair. He spent the equivalent of $14,000 to hire a lawyer from Beijing to help negotiate with officials. But some people in the area feel that although Yushou aimed high, he missed his shot. Locals said he may have gotten what they called a ‘big prize’, but in the end, he ‘failed to seize the opportunity’.
Over on Reddit, people had plenty to say about what happened, with one person commenting: “I expect he was holding out for more, thinking there’s no way they can’t build the highway without buying his house. He got greedy and FAFO.”
Another user chimed in: “I’m all for his stubbornness to self but that has to be miserable. The anxiety of a crash happening and landing in the house would’ve been enough to sell.”
Someone else added: “His neighbor took the compensation at the right time with fair price already become millionaire. All he wants is more, got nothing in the end. The last one always get nothing but regret.”
And in a lighter take, one Redditor compared the situation to the Pixar movie Up and joked: “Grandpa now preparing the balloons.”
No matter what decisions led to this bizarre outcome, one thing is clear, having a highway completely wrapped around your house probably isn’t anyone’s dream scenario when browsing Zillow listings.