A husband and wife whose home and business were left marooned on a spike of land in the middle of a construction site have agreed to end their dispute with developers.

 

The couple in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality will be compensated an additional 900,000 yuan (US$115,385) for the loss of their business, a local court said on Tuesday.

 

The developer, Chongqing Zhirun Real Estate Co. Ltd., will compensate Wu Ping and Yang Wu for 30 months of losses at a rate of 30,000 yuan (US$3,846) a month, said Yang Guang, an official with Jiulongpo District Court.

 

The couple's fight came to a head after a photo of their home was widely circulated in the media. It showed their house perched on top of a spike of land in the middle of a 17-meter-deep excavation site where the foundations of a new shopping mall will be built.

 

The additional compensation raises the total compensation package to 3.5 million yuan (US$455,000) and will provide the couple with 500,000 yuan after they purchase and renovate a similar sized new home in the Shapingba District in downtown Chongqing, Yang said.

 

Water and electricity to the couple's two-storey brick house in Jiulongpo District was cut in 2004 but they refused to move. Developers had earlier persuaded 280 other families to make way for a new shopping mall.

 

The duo refused to allow bulldozers near their home as they argued they should receive enough compensation to replace their old home with a new one in a downtown neighborhood.

 

The couple's residence became known as the "nail house" because it stood up like a nail in the middle of the excavation site and for their refusal to be hammered down.

 

Wu and Yang took their last few belongings from their old house Monday afternoon, after reaching agreement with the developer. The house was razed during the night.

 

"I want to preserve my dignity and my legitimate rights," Wu Ping said earlier.

 

Yang said that the house, formerly a wooden building that was rebuilt in 1993, had been handed down through several generations. It was used as a variety store and then leased to become a restaurant.

 

Zhang Li, chief justice of Jiulongpo District Court, said the dispute will have "far-reaching significance", rather than a much feared negative impact on the city's urban development.

 

"It shows that homeowners and developers should, in order to build a harmonious society, always be considerate of each other and seek proper settlement of disputes through negotiations," he said. "Confrontation in any form will cause damage to both sides and to society."

 

Unsatisfied with the court's March 19 ruling that the couple must move out of the house in three days or face forcible removal, the furious husband flew a national flag from atop the building to demonstrate his determination and his wife held "press conferences" for media and audiences on the construction site.

 

Some local residents were sympathetic to the couple, but noted that "common people can't win against developers". "We shouldn't make trouble for the government," said Li Deshun, an old man living nearby.

 

Experts believe that the outcry reflects a growing dissatisfaction among common people about the way sites are commandeered and buildings demolished. On China's portal websites like sina.com, 85 percent of those polled showed support for the couple.

 

China passed its landmark property law last month, with a new emphasis on the protection of private property. "Let's hope the new law reduces such disputes," said Zhao Wanyi, professor at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 4, 2007)