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Zhang Shulan's scarred and deformed face is shocking to look at. She was once a fit and healthy woman but now, with her hair gone and facial features distorted, she looks nothing like her former self. The 64-year-old's visual change came about in a single act. When "hired thugs" came to evict her earlier this year she poured petrol over herself and set it alight. "I did it because they tore down my house without my permission. I set fire to myself because I didn't want to live - they forced me - I had no choice," said a tearful Mrs Zhang. "Ordinary people don't have any rights at all. I feel so upset." She is still fighting for what she believes is her right to proper compensation for her former home, now demolished. She is not alone. Dozens of people in her district have similar claims, as have thousands of others across China. Hired thugs As the country races to develop, the government has not been able to stop hundreds of conflicts over land use. The state council, China's highest government body, recently issued guidelines to prevent forced demolitions like that of Mrs Zhang's home. But cases of people taking extreme action because they believe they have been treated unfairly continue - suggesting the government has a major problem on its hands. Mrs Zhang is one of a handful of residents who have refused to move from their shabby, single-storey homes in Tongzhou, a suburb of Beijing, to make way for redevelopment. The local government appears to have great hopes for the district, which has good transport links to central Beijing. Some developers are suggesting Tongzhou could become the "Manhattan of China". The centre of this suburb has been transformed with fancy shops and restaurants. New apartment blocks have sprung up and large areas have been cleared for future projects. Selling off land to developers earns Chinese local governments billions of dollars every year - about 30% of their budgets on average. But redevelopment means people have to move - and some do not want to go.