(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-30 15:12

BEIJING - A couple in South China's Guangdong Province ended their one-year battle to protect their house from being razed by developers after receiving a proper compensation.

The couple's seven-storey brick building. [File photo]

The couple, Cai Zhuxiang and Zhang Lianhao in Shenzhen city refused to give details about the compensation which was believed to be between 10 million to 20 million yuan (about US$ 1.3 million to US$ 2.7 million), a rarely large amount in China.

The couple's seven-storey brick building lies in the booming downtown area of Shenzhen's Luohu district. A photo on China's portal website Sina.com shows it erecting on a bare excavation site as large as 63 football fields against the backdrop of a forest of fancy buildings.

The site is expected to turn into a financial center including a 439-meter-tall skyscraper, according to the developer Shenzhen Kingkey Group.

Another three "nail house" owners are having further negotiation with the developers, according to report of local media.

Dispute between house owners and the developers has long been a vital problem in resettlement work. Early April, a couple in southwest China's Chongqing municipality became media focus by winning a battle with developers after achieving an additional compensation.

Experts believe that the contradiction reflects a growing dissatisfaction among common people about the way sites are commandeered and buildings demolished.

China passed its landmark property law in March with a new emphasis on the protection of private property. The law is to become effective from October 1.