A photo of a half-demolished building dubbed "the castle in the air" has raised a storm among Chinese netizens. The seven-floor building was demolished from the bottom up leaving only the top two floors clinging precariously to a crumbling structure.

The property developer responsible for the demolition claims the building, in Mianyang City, was so badly damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that it had become uninhabitable.

But one family refused to move. Zhao Yanhong, who owns a top-floor flat, said the developer had only purchased land adjacent to the building and had no right to knock it down. She said the compensation offered for the flat, which is in the center of the city, was far less than the market price. Zhao was still trying to negotiate a deal with the developer when, on New Year’s day, she found the bottom floors of the building had been demolished, and all her belongings left stranded on the top floor.

The building was owned by a company that went bankrupt ten years ago and all its residents were former employees. Over the years, they had demanded the right to buy the apartments, but the company consistently refused. Many think it secretly sold the building to the developer.

Zhao said the property developer hired gangsters to threaten and beat up residents to force them to leave. Several people were injured and one was left in a critical condition.

But the developer claims the demolition was approved by the Mianyang government as a part of its post-earthquake reconstruction program. The company says it has obtained one of five legal documents needed to authorize demolition, and will collect the other documents later. The company also denied any links to gangsters.