Chinese province slammed for 'stupid' bulldozing of farm houses

HONG KONG -- Xiao Zhao had a peaceful existence in the village of Zhaibocun in the Binzhou district of Shandong province, driving 20 minutes each day to work in a factory while his parents grew crops in nearby fields. The 30-year-old lived with his wife, daughter and parents in a large self-built cottage guarded by a dog that often barked at neighboring chickens.

But about a month ago everything changed. The cottage was demolished and he and other villagers deserted the place where generations of their ancestors had lived.