Family defends house of Qing Dynasty minister

The owners of the former residence of Li Hongzhang, a chief minister of the Qing Dynasty who tried to modernize China, have been ordered by local authorities to vacate the property to make room for a luxury hotel.

Thirty-eight-year-old Wang Chun, whose mother Shi Shuha and her brothers own the No 55 courtyard house in Dongtangzi Hutong, Dongcheng district, found a ruling stuck in their front gate on Monday issued by the local authorities on Dec 18 that asks them to move out of the house before the end of the year.

Despite freezing temperatures making the courtyard house unlivable over the winter, Wang visits every day back to check the location.