Threats of eviction were not enough. Neither were hefty compensation offers or the colossal pit surrounding their house. Yang Wu and his wife, Wu Ping, residents of the central Chinese city of Chongqing, had made their decision: they were staying put, and no construction project or municipal order was going to dislodge them. By fighting city hall, the couple sparked a nationwide debate about a new law that promised private property protections unprecedented in the history of the People's Republic. Yang and Wu eventually gave up their fight — the house has since been demolished and the owners remunerated — but the legacy of their struggle continues to resonate, raising questions about the ramifications of China's new property legislation. Specifically, can this law ever be implemented successfully, and if so, what will its effects be? Regardless of the exact legal outcome, the law certainly constitutes a symbolic turning point in China's move from a socialist to a market economy.

(HBR on-line)