In Kunming City, Yunnan Province, the house of a villager in the JInbi Street, Xishan District was demolished by the local government. The individual involved, who goes by the alias Li Yan, expressed that this is an ongoing dispute that has lasted for years, and the recent escalation of events involved alleged illegal collusion between the Xishan District government and grassroots court, disregarding legal procedures to forcibly carry out the demolition, resulting in the destruction of assets accumulated over three generations. As of now, there has been no official response to the incident.
According to Li Yan, the incident dates back to 2019 when the local government initiated a land acquisition under the guise of commercial real estate development. However, due to the breakdown of the investment chain, the process came to a standstill. In 2024, the Xishan District government reinitiated the demolition process after obtaining a special loan, issuing residents with resettlement compensation decisions and orders to surrender land.
She stated that her family’s five-story house, with a total area of over 500 square meters, was built over 20 years ago on collectively-owned land that had already been incorporated into the urban planning scope. Therefore, it should be compensated based on state-owned land standards. However, the government’s compensation standard was only 5,000 yuan per square meter, much lower than the market prices of neighboring properties ranging from 18,000 to over 20,000 yuan, with no resettlement housing being constructed.
“We have been upholding our rights in accordance with the law, from appeals to litigation, we have followed the proper procedures,” said Li Yan. Her family is involved in two administrative litigation cases: one regarding the government’s land surrender order, where the first instance judgment was missed for appeal but has been applied for retrial at the Yunnan Provincial Higher People’s Court; the other case involving resettlement compensation is currently under review at the Higher Court and has undergone mediation this year. While the Xishan District Deputy District Mayor was absent from the mediation meeting, only the deputy director of Jinbi Street attended, promising to re-measure the house’s area but failed to follow through afterward.
The peak of the dispute occurred in August this year when Li Yan received an execution ruling from the Xishan District Court. She immediately submitted written objections, but the court did not respond within 15 days, even evading responsibility during phone inquiries. Following this, Li Yan complained to the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, but received no further response. In this context, on the early morning of September 12th, dozens of security guards from the demolition company, urban management officers, and unidentified individuals surrounded the house, forcibly broke three locks, and entered the premises. At that time, Li Yan’s father was still sleeping inside the house, and her mother, upon returning from outside, witnessed the scene, leading to her collapse due to a heart discomfort. The property inside the house was destroyed, and residents were forced to leave, currently residing with relatives.
Li Yan stated that this forced demolition involves illegal intrusion into residences, causing harm and robbery, and violates legal procedures. “The court’s execution ruling itself is illegal; they ignored objections and directly colluded with the government to forcefully seize civilian homes,” she revealed. According to her, among the approximately 600 households in the area, the majority were coerced into signing contracts due to their low cultural level and lack of rights protection capabilities. An early public opinion survey showed that 90% of residents requested compensation exceeding 9,000 yuan per square meter. Li Yan is one of the few persisting litigants, as some of her neighbors’ houses were illegally demolished before, with one elderly resident being dragged out and frightened into agreeing to sign, leading to passive rights protection.
Apart from being their residence, Li Yan’s house was partially rented out and served as the accumulated asset of three generations of her family. Li Yan’s father has only received a little over 800 yuan per month from the displaced farmers’ pension insurance. “This is the asset of three generations; the government cannot let us get poorer as they demolish more,” she emphasized, demanding that the government compensate for losses in accordance with the law and hold criminal responsibility.
Repeated calls to the Xishan District government and Xishan District Court went unanswered. Legal experts pointed out that in demolition disputes, administrative enforcement must strictly adhere to procedures, and any illegality can be held accountable through retrials or administrative reviews.