Dozens in China Fight Demolition Plans

Yuan's lawyer, Li Subin of Beijing's Yitong law firm, said the group tried to file a law suit against the Sifang District Government on April 23 but that the Qingdao Intermediate Court refused to accept the case.

An administrative officer with the Sifang government said Thursday he was unsure about the situation in Hexi and referred calls to the local redevelopment office, where the phone rang unanswered. Like many Chinese officials, he refused to give his name.

Property disputes and illegal land grabs have accelerated recently as China's economy expands at double-digit rates and farmland is gobbled up for industrial parks and skyscrapers. Government officials often have sided with developers, touching off riots and protests.