"Spasms of social turmoil in China have become increasingly common, a reflection of the widening income gap and deepening unhappiness with official corruption and an unresponsive legal system. But the clashes in Wukan, which first erupted in September, are unusual for their longevity — and for the brazenness of the villagers as they call attention to their frustrations.
"In addition to greater compensation and a public accounting about that deal and earlier ones, the residents called for democratic elections to replace village officials, including the party secretary, who has been in power since the early 1980s.
"The Daily Telegraph of London, which first reported on the most recent skirmishes, said villagers had stockpiled crude weapons, including steel-tipped bamboo spears.
(3) Jeremy Page and Brian Spegele, Land Dispute in China Town Sparks Revolt; Guangdong standoff underlines anger. Wall Street Journal, Dec 15, 2011.
Quote:
A press officer for the local government denied that any land grab had occurred, although he did acknowledge that villagers were angry over a land issue.
"Such land disputes account for 65% of 'mass incidents'--the government's euphemism for large protests--in rural areas, according to Yu Jiangrong, a professor and expert on rural issues at the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Mr Yu estimates that local officials [throughout China] have seized about 16.6 million acres of rural land (more than the entire state of West Virginia) sine 1990s, depriving farmers of about two trillion yuan ($314 billion) due to discrepancy between the compensation they receive and the land's real market value.
"China's Land Ministry has also warned that misappropriation of farmlandhas brought the country dangerously close to the so-called red line of 296 million acres of arable land that the government believes it needs to feed China's 1.34 billion people.
"The standoff is particularly risky for Wang Yang, the Communist Party chief of Guangdong, who is vying with other candidates for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee--the party's top decision-making body--in a once-a-decade leadership change next year.