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A ramshackle 10-storey home that had become an offbeat tourist attraction in southwestern China has been demolished, ending a years-long battle between the structure’s owner and local authorities.

Chen Tianming said local authorities took just hours to reduce the stone bungalow—which had been transformed into a pyramid-shaped structure of plywood rooms stacked upon one another—back down to its original single story.

“I don’t feel regret, because regret is useless,” Chen told the AFP news agency. “I also don’t blame myself for failing to protect it – it’s just that the force driving its destruction was simply too powerful.”

The 43-year-old had spent about 200,000 yuan ($29,000) over eight years to convert his family home into an unlikely tourist attraction in the village of Xingyi in Guizhou province.

Visiting tourists drew comparisons between Chen’s home and the intricately detailed, whimsical worlds created by Japanese animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki.

Authorities in Guizhou province had long threatened to remove the multistory structure, held together by bamboo scaffolding, saying it lacked the necessary building permits and posed a safety hazard.

Chen’s home village of Xingyi was mostly demolished in 2018 as authorities planned to build a tourist resort in the region known for its otherworldly mountain landscapes. Chen’s family refused to leave, and as the resort’s construction faltered he began building his home higher and higher in defiance of demolition threats.

In August 2024, authorities labeled Chen’s home an illegal construction and ordered him to destroy everything except the original bungalow. On May 18, Xingyi officials issued a final notice ordering Chen’s family to leave by 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

After the deadline, local law enforcement and public security bureau officials escorted Chen and his parents away from his home, confiscated his phone, and held him in custody as the demolition proceeded.

Chen, who filmed the aftermath showing piles of building materials scattered around where the towering structure once stood, told AFP he is now seeking legal help to have the forced demolition deemed illegal.

“Then I will have a chance to restore it,” he said.

Additional reporting by Yu-chen Li.

“,
“summary”: “Chinese authorities demolished a man’s homemade 10-story Studio Ghibli-like home in Guizhou, ending a years-long dispute over building permits and safety.”
}