Home Security: Hubei Farmer Builds Own Cannons

There’s nothing new about people being forced off of their land in China – every year, countless properties are requisitioned to developers, forcing even the most stubborn “nail house” residents to give up their homes for demolition. But what happens when passively acquiescing just isn’t your style?

Hubei farmer Yang Youde has taken defending his land to a new, innovative level by creating his own arsenal of handmade artillery.

According to the Shanghaiist, Yang has chased off waves of over 100 assailants with homemade rockets and cannons. He has twice fought to defend his farm, which he leased until 2019. Yang asserts that he is not a nail house owner holding out for a high price from developers; he only wants to defend his rights to the land. His lease did not include compensation terms for breaking the contract, so he refuses to leave until agreement on fair compensation has been reached.

Yang has posted signs at the limits of his property, informing outsiders that they “will be responsible for any accidents” that befall them upon trespassing (translation from EastSouthWestNorth).

In this case, “accidents” might come in the form of petrol bombs or cannon fire from Yang’s elevated artillery tower. Yang even installed a couch in the tower, allowing him to keep 24-hour watch for another wave of developer thugs. For Yang, defending his home is not aggression – it’s simply the only way to a fair settlement with the developers.

That’s the spirit Yang – they could have done with more like at the old Summer Palace back in 1860.