Maverick Chinese Town’s Revolutionary Dream Fades Away

[Valin]

Via Meadia:

3/1/13

 

 

The city of Wukan, in southeast China, burst into rebellion last year, only to see its high hopes fade away. Villagers in Wukan were furious with the local Communist Party leaders, who were selling off large parcels of communal land to developers and pocketing the proceeds. Finally fed up, in late 2011 the villagers joined together in a large protest, armed themselves with homemade weapons, barricaded themselves in the village, and fought back against the riot police that were sent to quell the uprising. Finally, after an eleven week standoff, Wang Yang, the Communist Party boss in Guangdong, told the villagers their demands were reasonable. He fired the Wukan Party boss and allowed protest leaders to hold elections and run the local government.

 

A great success, you might say.

 

Eighteen months later, Wukan citizens aren’t so sure they accomplished much. Town leaders can’t get back land they say was illegally confiscated and sold to developers. They suspect the developers are protected by a network of Party officials, bankers, and businessmen who profit from land sales like this, which take place across the country. The former Wukan Party boss who was fired by Wang Yang was sentenced to almost four years in jail, but he will be allowed to serve that sentence at home, a court ruled recently. ”It’s like being given a check for two million yuan, but it bounces when you go to the bank,” one Wukan resident told Reuters.

 

 

(Snip)