Not such a great wall

There has been some 'excitement' in my favourite neighbourhood bar over the past few days.

The landlord of the adjacent building has finally let it to a new tenant after it had lain vacant for most of this year.  Either the landlord or the tenant (the landlord, I think) thought it would be a cool idea to build an extra room on to his property by annexing part of the shared courtyard in the rear (it's traditional 'old Beijing' pingfang housing: ramshackle single-storey structures clustered together around little yards).

And, this being China, he just went right ahead and did it - without a thought of seeking "planning permission" (I'm not sure if it even nominally exists in this country; since there's no 'rule of law' to speak of, it makes little difference whether it does or not), or a by-your-leave to the neighbours.

At least he didn't put up his new walls right in front of the bar's back door.  No, he didn't quite do that.  But my bar owner friend arrived at work a few days ago to find that his 'emergency exit' was now boxed in by a hastily constructed 12-foot high wall, leaving him barely one square yard of space outside.... and no exit to the street any more.

Now, this didn't particularly bother him.  He was inclined to view this remodelling of the space at the rear of his bar as having created a convenient bit of extra storage space for him, or perhaps as a clandestine spot to set up a barbecue in the summer.

However, he thought his landlord would probably not be quite so chuffed about the matter.  His bar comprises two small hutong properties which he has knocked through into one.  However, he has two separate landlords, and different durations on the leases.  Thus, it is entirely likely that one day the landlord of the rear half of the bar will reclaim his property and require my friend to rebuild the dividing wall.  And he won't then be very happy with the fact that there is no longer any means of access to his house (short of climbing over the rooftops, that is).

No, indeed he was not pleased.  Doubleplus unpleased.  He turned up the next day with a sledgehammer and knocked down the offending new walls in person.  His inconsiderate neighbour remonstrated in heated terms.  Blows were exchanged (with fists only, I understand; not with the sledgehammer or any other heavy implements).  The police were summoned.  And the whole neighbourhood turned out to watch.

I rather fear this might become a long-running saga, perhaps something of a reprise of the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Ah, China.