Located in Shalao Hutong, in Beijing’s Andingmen area in Dongcheng District, the newly discovered, albeit unfinished, illegal structure was three floors, or ten meters (32.8 feet) deep, with a total floor space of some 700 square meters (2,296 square feet).

Walls and pillars were strengthened with reinforced concrete, and the underground complex resembles a pyramid: the second-level was between two and three times larger than the first underground level. The third level was unfinished.

Built under two adjacent bungalows owned by a 50 year-old man named Li, construction was hidden from neighbors by hiring workers from midnight to dawn, and using shovels to dig the vast underground chamber rather than draw attention by using heavy machinery. Neighbors eventually became suspicious and reported Li to the authorities in October.

Li had big plans for his underground complex: he wanted to use the vast underground space as a garage, to store cars from his car rental service. In its current state, about 50 cars could be stored in the space, but he wanted to build it big enough for 100.

Basement extensions are illegal in Beijing, and no building permits are granted for such renovations. Builders instead rely upon guanxi (special relationships) to help avoid authorities.

Illegal basements in Beijing made headlines last February when one such illegal basement built by a representative of China’s National People’s Congress collapsed and opened up a massive sinkhole that forced 15 local residents to be evacuated from their homes.

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A sinkhole opened up in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, on January 24. It turns out it was created by a basement built illegally by Li Baojun, a representative of China’s National People’s Congress. The sinkhole forced 15 residents to be evacuated from their homes while a four-story house teetered precariously to one side. The hole was so wide it stretched out into the road in front.

Li had previously been penalized for making illegal renovations to his home last July.

Li had not obtained authorizations to build the basement, and many concerned residents had called the local chengguan hotline but their calls were not answered.

Crews have spent three days filling the 1.900-square meter hole with sand and cement. The street has since re-opened, and repairs are underway to fix the teetering home.

Related:

• No Elevator for Your 5th Floor Walkup? Man Builds His Own (Illegal) One
• Guy Builds a Forest on a Guangzhou Apartment Building to Hide Illegal Floors
• Demolition Begins on Hidden Forest House in Guangzhou
• Dongguan “castle in the sky” becomes latest controversial structure
• Police officer busted for having a decked-out illegal gambling den in Shenzhen

Photos: China News Network, iFeng

The post NPC Rep Builds Illegal Basement 18 Meters Deep, Leads to Massive Sinkhole appeared first on The Nanfang.

The bizarre structure, image courtesy of Xinkuaibao

On Tuesday (Sept. 10) the Shijie branch of the Dongguan City Management Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau deemed the construction of a three-storey building with two villa-sized “cabins” above it held up with 10 pillars each illegal, Jinyang reports.

The building has been the subject of discussion since 2007 and was renovated last year. However, it is since the series of controversies about illegal structures have emerged that the owners will be prosecuted to be made an example of.

Serendipitously, the day before this was reported, Business Insider published 22 images that demonstrate China’s wealth gap.

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