At first glance the compound is reminiscent of Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island or, the hideaway for a James Bond villain. The villa is situated 26-floors up, atop an apartment block in Beijing’s Haidian district, and was built by a man, known to his neighbors as “Professor Zhang.”
Professor Zhang originally purchased the penthouse apartment, before deciding to extend his property upwards onto the roof. His roof-top country villa includes rockeries, sculptures, trees and gardens, and has taken six-years to build. Its development has caused structural damage, water leakage to the building and considerable inconvenience to its tenants… gives a whole new meaning to the trickle down effect…
The Beijing Morning News contacted Prof. Zhang, who claimed he was unconcerned what his neighbors thought.
“Since I dare to live here, I am not worried about complaints.”
When questioned about the noise, the eccentric home-owner replied:
“Famous people come to my place and sing. How can you stop them?”
In China, the rich can do as they please, and Professor Zhang is rich enough that he can openly flout any planning regulations. The other residents have asked the building’s management, local urban management officials and even the police to enforce planning regulation against Professor Zhang, but all have refused.
Via The Independent