Beijing flat owner given 15 days to remove giant rooftop structure

Beijing authorities have given an ultimatum to the owner of a massive illegal rooftop structure: it goes in 15 days or will be torn down - fake rocks, greenhouse and all.

But the owner, acupuncturist Zhang Biqing, defiantly defended his flamboyant 26th-storey creation, even as it became the source of global marvel and ridicule.

He told the Mirror newspaper that he was willing to remove part of the structure, including a glass house and some vine creepers. But he wanted authorities to allow him to keep the sprawling fake rocks, which he claimed helped to insulate the building against heat.

The bizarre structure, dominating the high-end Park View residential compound in Haidian district, has become a national talking point after photographs of it were published.

The ultimatum was issued on Monday by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of City Administration and Law Enforcement. The total area of the illegal structure exceeded 800 square metres, the authorities said.

Zhang has said that law enforcers had been aware of the structure since 2008 and had raised no objection. In an interview with the Beijing Times, Zhang said he would not have built the structure without permission from officials.