In Nanjing, developers removed people from their homes under the guise of weigai, or urban renewal. When one man asked for compensation in the form of a mere 645 sq ft apartment, removal bosses cut his water and electricity, threw stones through his windows and beat up his wife's parents, instead. This man went to the developer's removal office covered with gasoline, threatening to light himself on fire. Nobody got the message.
So he lit the match. The gas was excessive. He quickly burned to death, injuring others.
Within weeks a farmer from Qingyang county of Anhui province, facing a similar removal, chose to burn himself in Tiananmen Square. Authorities doused the flames and brought him to a hospital. The farmer's life savings were bulldozed by real estate developers. Before coming to Beijing, he lobbied provincial government officials, who did not get the message. Now these same local officials have all come apologetically to the Beijing hospital where he is recovering. They finally got the message, but it was too late.
On September 25, another self-immolation over forced removals occurred in Beijing's Chaoyang district. This was followed by an attempted self-immolation in Tiananmen Square on October 1st before crowds celebrating National Day, marking the fourth such instance within a month.
Urban removals on the mainland are forced, and compensation is often unfair. Developers get removals approved by urban planning authorities, then they hire a removal company belonging to the district government and give it a budget. The character chai, meaning removal, is painted on people's homes, and they are given a few days to move out. On the night that notice is given, thugs working for the removal company smash windows. The next morning, negotiations begin. In Beijing, if the budget is 10,000 yuan (HK$9,300) per square metre to remove the residents, they will be offered 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. The balance will be kept and split along the commercial chain.
That is how entire neighborhoods in Beijing disappear overnight.