Wu Ping and Yang Wu have been fending off bulldozers in downtown Chongqing since 2004, demanding better compensation.
Yang had been holed up in the house, surviving on deliveries of food and water, before leaving the house on Monday afternoon, China's Xinhua news agency said.
The house sat in the centre of a 10-m deep pit dug by the developer of the shopping centre.
The couple was one of 280 households ordered to leave the area earmarked for redevelopment in Chongqing, a city of 28 million.
Compensation
 |
The couple had stood their ground against
developers for three years [Reuters] |
All their neighbours accepted compensation offered by the developers.
The wife, Wu, had been tirelessly meeting local and foreign media in recent weeks to publicise their case.
The couple was offered $258,000 in compensation or two higher floors in the planned complex.
Wu said she turned down both offers because she wanted lower levels in the new building so she could run her restaurant.
The couple demanded $600,000 to relocate.
The demolition was witnessed by dozens of reporters and residents on Monday.