In a shocking turn of events, a couple of farmers from Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, were left devastated when their family home was demolished by local authorities without any prior notice while they were working away from home. The news of this incident went viral on May 22.
According to reports from multiple media outlets including The Paper, on April 30, 2025, at 2:30 pm, Yang Qinghu and his wife, residents of Jiahe Village in Xinyi Town, Yuxian District of Mianyang City, who were working in Shanghai, witnessed through their son’s surveillance camera a group of people using an excavator to demolish their old house without any warning. The house was razed to the ground in a matter of minutes.
Upon seeing the demolition, Yang immediately contacted the village chief Jin Yicai to inquire about the situation, only to find out that he was unaware of any plans to demolish the house. Yang promptly called the police and rushed back to their hometown with his wife overnight.
The local police station informed Yang that it was the transportation department who carried out the demolition. However, when Yang approached the transportation department and the Xinyi Town government, they claimed it was a mistake by the road construction team.
Yang disputed this claim, stressing that among all the houses in Jiahe Village, only theirs needed to be demolished for the road construction, making the explanation of a “mistake” hard for him to accept.
On May 19, a reporter from The Paper visited the demolished house and observed that a new road was being built on the old road foundation adjacent to Yang’s former residence. Over ten days had passed since the demolition, yet the debris, rubble, and timber from the demolished house remained uncleared.
On May 21, Jin Yicai, the head of the village committee where Yang resides, stated to the media that they had previously agreed to utilize Yang’s old house for a planned construction project but no discussions or compensation for relocation had taken place. During the Chinese New Year earlier this year, the village had intended to negotiate with Yang within two days, but as of the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, there had been no contact.
Yang disclosed that in February 2025, village officials informed him that his house needed to be taken for road construction and compensation would be provided in accordance with national policies. However, the compensation process had halted without any progress, leading to the abrupt demolition without proper compensation negotiations, which Yang believed was unjust.
The head of the demolition office in Liu Jia Town, surnamed Chen, revealed to The Paper on May 20 that for the project to transform Liu Jia Town into Yuhe Town, a compensation ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 RMB per kilometer was allocated for affected residents along county and township roads. While the road construction had mostly been completed, some locals entitled to compensation had not yet received it as the construction team mistakenly assumed that Yang had been compensated on the morning of April 30.
In response to the situation, lawyer Hu Lei from Beijing Zeheng Law Firm emphasized that when the government needs to expropriate houses for public interest, they must adhere to the principle of “compensation before relocation,” ensuring that sufficient compensation is provided to safeguard the rights of those affected. If Yang’s house was demolished without compensation or relocation arrangements, in violation of civil and land management laws, the responsible parties could face legal consequences.
Hu Lei advised Yang to negotiate with relevant authorities regarding the next steps, and if no agreement can be reached, he could consider filing an administrative lawsuit in accordance with the Administrative Litigation Law.
The news sparked heated discussions online, with most netizens siding with Yang Qinghu and demanding that justice be served in accordance with the law.
A netizen named “牛店小哥” suggested, “Since it was a mistaken demolition, then please help them rebuild a new house.”