'Picturesque mountaintop villa, "urban" location': Chinese homeowner builds dream rural villa... on top of TOWER BLOCK

Ambitious professor Zhang Lin spent six years constructing the bizarre Beijing tower block property, which looks like it's been carved into the side of a mountain.

Rex Features/Rex - Out of place: The 'mountaintop villa' doesn't exactly fit in in the city location. (Rex)

From a certain angle it looks like an idyllic mountaintop penthouse - the perfect hideaway for getting away from it all.

But the owner of this unique property didn't have the patience to find a real rural location - so they built the dream villa on top of a tower block.

Ambitious professor Zhang Lin spent six years constructing the bizarre tower block property which looks like it's been carved into the side of a mountain.

He is said to have made the eye-catching home on top of the 26-storey block in Beijing without planning permission.

The faux-mountaintop penthouse covers 1,000 square metres, but has, perhaps understandably, not been too well received by his neighbours underneath.

Several have complained that his extensive building work has caused leaks and cracks in their homes, and there are even concerns that the huge structure could make the block collapse.

Labour of love: The unique home looks like it's been carved into a mountain (at least close up) (Rex)

The owner of the Beijing home is said to have built it over six years without planning permission. (Rex)

One resident complained of being constantly flooded, while another described Mr Lin and his building project as a 'menace'.

One unnamed neighbour said: 'This was originally a small attic when he bought it. But he tore that down and built this mountain on top of us.'