15 surreal pictures of Chinese 'nail houses' whose owners refused to cave to developers

Some homes are built out of spite. Others are left standing as a form of protest.

In China, "nail houses" - homes that remain standing despite pressure from real estate developers to sell - have become increasingly common.

In the cases of many nail houses, owners are protesting what they see as lowball offers from developers who want to build ambitious private projects on their land. A law passed in 2007 makes it more difficult for the government to seize land, but conflicts remain.

The resulting homes often look bizarre juxtaposed against modern high-rises, office buildings, and shopping malls. Some even stand proudly on roads, forcing drivers to take detours around them.