In the city of Chongqing (located in China’s Sichuan Province) Yang Wu and his wife, Wu Ping, have been known as “the most stubborn family,” refusing to submit to developers for over two years. Having finally reached a deal with the city and the development company, the couple’s house was demolished on the evening of April 2. Nevertheless, many are beginning to question whether they actually received the sum they were promised. Internet broadcasts describing this situation has brought worldwide attention to this “stubborn house,” and in the process, journalist Zhou Shuguang has gained a fantastic reputation for his bravery in reporting the incident in his blog.
According to an internet surfer who were onsite during the demolition, on the evening of April 2, traffic police cordoned off the Yang’s property—an island amidst the rest of the neighborhood demolished long ago—and reporters were required police approval to enter this demolition site.
The city’s district court vice president, Yang Guang, held a press conference in the afternoon of April 3, claiming that under court assistance, the Yang’s and Chongqing Zhirun Real Estate Inc. had reached an agreement on April 2. The Yang family agreed to trade in their house for another home provided by the company.
Yang Guang explained that the couple was exhausted from the ordeal and did not wish to give a public statement, but he reaffirmed that their freedom “was not restricted in any way.”
Paying his own fare from Hunan Province to Chongqing City, volunteer reporter, Zhou Shuguang, has been covering the entire ordeal. He has been instrumental in bringing this standoff worldwide attention. Zhou still questions why neither side made their transaction public. He asks, “Was Wu Ping threatened? Or did she manipulate the media during this process?”
