ABSTRACT
A house is essential for a human being to settle down and to get on with his pursuits. It is the carrier of his private life as well as the nexus of his rights to privacy, property, and the like. People are territorial animals, and without a private residence they will feel adrift. In China, it is particularly signifi cant for most ordinary people to have their own house, and housing has become a symbol of the quality of people’s livelihood and a critical issue in the protection of civil rights.
