2 Families End 200-Year Feud Over A Wall Thanks To Qing Dynasty Poem
A 200-year-old land dispute between two Chinese families has finally been resolved using a Qing dynasty letter.
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Two families finally settled a feud over their properties that lasted over two centuries across multiple generations
In Xian, China, the Du and Zhang families recently took their ancestral property dispute to court.
According to the South China Morning Post, the latest clash started when the Du family tried to renovate their kitchen and raise a wall.
However, the Zhang family repeatedly blocked the construction, citing concerns about drainage and blocked sunlight. Police and village officials tried to mediate the physical and verbal clashes dozens of times, but with no luck.
During one session, the Zhang family presented a perfectly preserved land deed from 1781, dating back to the Qianlong Emperor's reign
The ancient document marked the property boundary with a persimmon tree.
Realising the dispute had survived the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, authorities took a highly creative approach.
Instead of strictly enforcing the 1781 deed, the Yanta district court cited a letter from Qing dynasty politician Zhang Ying.
The politician had famously urged his own family to yield in a property dispute, resulting in a six-foot lane that is now a tourist attraction
"A letter from afar just for a wall, why not give up three feet?" he wrote. "The Great Wall still stands today, but Qin Shi Huang is nowhere to be seen," he added.
Moved by the historical precedent and careful new measurements by officials, the Zhang family peacefully accepted the outcome.
The Du family successfully renovated their kitchen, finally putting the 200-year rivalry to rest.
