”Nail Houses” is a Chinese neologism for homes belonging to people who refuse to make room for development, often in an attempt to negotiate a high price in exchange for selling out. The term, a pun coined by developers, refers to nails that are stuck in wood, and cannot be pounded down with a hammer. Here are some really cool examples of “nail houses.”

Perhaps the most famous nail house in history was situated on a huge mound of dirt in Chonqing until April 2007, at which point it was demolished by exhausted developers after battling for 3 years and eventually parting with ¥1m. The house’s owner, Mrs. Wu Ping, was the only person from 241 properties who refused to leave when asked in 2004 in order to make way for a new shopping centre. She really dug her heels in and the story quickly spread around the world by way of the intertubes.

View the rest of the nail houses after the jump.

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