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China Elevator Stories
“They’ve started a war” – A tale about house ownership in China
Many of the houses near my in-laws’ home in Siping have been torn down, but a few are still standing.
25/05/2015
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
After eight years of waiting, my in-laws will soon be able to move into their own apartment. Why people moving into that compound had to wait so long is another story—one that recently even made it into the local news.
For now, they live in a small house without running water that will also be torn down soon. I’ve always liked the old house. It has a garden and a friendly dog, making it the perfect place for our son to play now that he’s learning to walk. But this post isn’t about the old house or how much I wish it wouldn’t be torn down. Instead, it’s a story about house ownership and the struggles of my in-laws’ landlady and her family, who live in a house just like theirs.
The landlady and her husband are a couple in their late 50s. Many of the small houses in the neighborhood have already been torn down, but a few remain. One day in April 2015, my husband said: “They’ve started a war.”
I asked, “What happened?”
He explained: “The other night, someone threw a brick through the window into the landlady’s house. They threw the brick back from inside. The next day, an excavator came and tore down their wall fence. They’re afraid to leave the house.”
A few days later, another excavator arrived and dumped a big shovel of feces right in front of their window. The landlady went to the local authorities, but they told her there was nothing they could do.
More days passed. Then, one quiet night, a gang of about 30 men showed up in front of their house and demanded they come out. The landlady was terrified that they might be beaten—or worse. In the end, she signed a contract agreeing to give up both their house and the one my in-laws currently live in within a week.
Over the past few days, my in-laws have been busy preparing their new apartment. They couldn’t start sooner because the compound didn’t have running water or electricity. So far, they’ve worked on the floors, walls, and electrical setup. The kitchen will arrive in two weeks. They’ve already purchased a bed and a sofa.
It could be much worse, right?