Shandong Man Builds 7-Story Home For Dead Brothers

By Matthew Bossons, February 15, 2016

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A peculiar tower-like building in Shandong has captured the attention of Chinese netizens, according to Daily Mail, after images of the structure appeared on the popular microblogging site Weibo. 

The building was constructed by Chinese farmer Hu Guangzhou, 55, to house his brothers, whom – if reports are to be believed – passed away a decade ago. Hu allegedly insists his brothers are still alive and will one day return to live in the home (which is undoubtedly one of the strangest we have ever seen).

Shandong-Tower-Home-2.jpg

Crafted from a resourceful mixture of wood, stones, bricks and clay, the home has taken 10 years to construct and now stands at a staggering seven floors, according to the report. 

Hu, who receives government subsidies every three months (as well as a lucrative free bun deal with a local steamed bun shop), spends his spare time repairing and strengthening the watchtower-like homestead, according to the Daily Mail story.

Looking at photos of Hu’s haphazard creation, it doesn’t take an architect to conclude it looks decidedly unsafe. Local authorities evidently share this appraisal and have bickered with Hu for years in regards to the home, although they have not had the resolve to tear it down.

Shandong-Tower-Home.jpg

Despite being a bit of an eyesore, Hu’s tower-home has been compared to the memorable building in Howl’s Moving Castle, a Japanese animated film scripted and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  

"This is a real life version of Howl's Moving Castle," declared one Weibo user. Check out our comparison below and judge for yourself: 

Shandong-Home-Moving-Castle-Comparison.jpg

[Images via ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images, accessed via Daily Mail.]

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