CHINA:A property dispute in Chongqing in southwestern China has created a pair of unlikely folk heroes - restaurateur Wu Ping and her kung fu teacher husband Yang Wu, who for three years have resisted the bulldozers trying to drive them out of their house to make way for a shopping mall.
The developers have dug around the two-storey brick house, leaving it perched precariously on a small island of land in the middle of a 10m deep pit. It's like a medieval castle surrounded by a moat.
During the three years their fight has continued, Yang Wu (51) has used his martial arts skills to fend off gangs of thugs sent by the developers to evict them, while his wife talks tough in the face of strong pressure to move.
"No one can force someone off their legal property. I am only protecting my own rights and interests," she said.
The Chinese national flag flies on the roof and slogans adorn the wall, saying "Private property rights shall not be infringed". Ms Wu describes herself as a "a citizen fighting for her legal rights".
Mr Yang has moved back into the house to make sure there is no surreptitious use of the wrecking ball, but there is no water or electricity and his wife has to send food and water into the house by rope and pulleys. The couple have become heroes in the national press, showing how much anger there is in China against the way in which residents are often kicked out of their homes to make way for the country's massive urbanisation programme.
It's also an early test for China's landmark new property law, which promises to protect private title rights and was passed earlier this month. It is due to come into effect in October.
The house is called a dingzihu, or "nail house", a pun on the Chinese phrase for troublemakers who stick up like nails and refuse to bow to government demands, no matter how hard you hammer them. "I would rather die in my house," said Mr Yang, a former martial arts city champion.
Property disputes and illegal land grabs have accelerated in recent years as China's economy simmers and farmland is gobbled up for industrial parks and skyscrapers.
Ms Wu and Mr Yang, who had planned to open a restaurant in the house, were among 280 households asked to make way for a redevelopment project in Chongqing, a booming city with a municipal population of around 28 million.
Ms Wu was offered €200,000 in compensation or two higher floors in the planned complex. She turned both down because she wanted lower levels in the new building so she could run her restaurant. She is seeking €14,000 per square metre in compensation, which is high compared to the average value of just over €1,000 a square metre in the area.