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The home owner said he has spent too much money on his home to see it demolished, so he took it with him. Photo: Handout

Chinese villager moves home, literally, for road-widening project

Homeowner relocates entire house 150 metres on rollers

A villager in eastern China jacked up his three-storey house to move it out of the way of a provincial road-widening project, mainland media reports.

The villager in Taixing city, Jiangsu province relocated his entire house 150 metres, the Yangtse Evening News reported.

His house was among the 165 homes along the road that were earmarked for relocation.

Although he received some compensation, the villager thought it would be a pity to tear down the house, which cost him more than 300,000 yuan (US$43,600) to build, including recently completed renovations.

The home was jacked up and hauled on skates of steel tubes across wooden sleepers. Photo: Handout

The relocation cost him 120,000 yuan. The report did not mention how much he had originally been compensated for the relocation.

It took two days for the house to be moved to the new location, hauled on skates of steel bars on tracks over wooden sleepers as hundreds of villagers watched on.

The relocation was completed on Tuesday.

Demolitions of homes to make way for urban redevelopment have become the norm in the mainland’s rapid drive to urbanise.

Forced evictions are the cause of many disputes, and homeowners who refuse to comply with eviction notices are sometimes beaten or even killed by thugs employed by local authorities.

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