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Wukan Peasant Victory Sets Stage For Chinese Turmoil

Infantile Disorder | 04.01.2012 17:23 | Policing | Repression | Social Struggles | World

The villagers of Wukan in south-east China appear to have won a victory over the misnamed Communist Party regime, and prevented the sale of some communal land. This triumph is the result of direct action, direct democracy, and the community's ability to get the word out, in spite of government censorship. These factors will be crucial in 2012, as factory workers come into conflict with multinational corporations in the cities.

Villagers building barricades in an effort to prevent police attack
Villagers building barricades in an effort to prevent police attack

Xue Jinbao addressing a meeting before his death at the hands of the state
Xue Jinbao addressing a meeting before his death at the hands of the state


he struggle began in September, when Wukan residents became suspicious that the local government was in the process of selling common farming land to Country Garden - a company which builds residences for the rich. The 21st saw hundreds of villagers gathered at nearby Communist Party offices, to nonviolently protest against the sale. But as crowds grew and grew in numbers, so too did their confidence. Protesters began blocking roads and attacking buildings in an industrial park.

Three villagers were arrested at the Communist HQ demonstrations, and the next day hundreds laid siege to the police station, demanding their release. The state responded to this challenge with unrestrained ferocity, with police and mercenaries beating villagers apparently without distinction - men and women, children and the elderly.

Cops were eventually called back to their posts, and the government struck a conciliatory tone, even asking villagers to elect delegates who could air their grievances. In retrospect, this seems to have been a ploy to uncover the 'leadership'. One of these - respected village butcher Xue Jinbo - died in police custody, apparently the victim of a state killing. The state news agency claimed that Xue was the victim of a heart attack, but the bruised knees, bloodied nostrils and broken thumbs reported by his son in law indicate this took place under torture.

What happened next stunned Beijing authorities, and sent shockwaves around the world in mid-December. The furious Wukan villagers banded together and drove the police and Communist Party officials out of town. They then set about running things for themselves. Meanwhile, cops maintained a blockade a few miles away. At this point, the central government's strategy appeared to be one of containment. They shied away from a violent restoration of 'order', perhaps wary of inflaming tensions nationwide. But if they could successfully stop the story from getting out to the wider world, Wukan residents would soon be face with a choice - surrender or starvation.

However, that is not how the story ended. Despite the blocking of Wukan-related internet searches within China itself, some international media were in town to spread the word, and villagers even set up their own press office. People from nearby villages managed to smuggle food in - their solidarity directly fuelling the resistance. There was also some wealth redistribution from the wealthiest to the poorest, ensuring that everyone would survive the blockade.

Frustrated, the Communist leadership eventually cut a deal. Though details are scarce and unreliable, the provincial government has reportedly agreed to buy back land it had seized, and allow the peasants to collectivise it once more. Detained villagers have been released, and an 'investigation' into the death of Xue Jinbao has been announced. It appears as if there was some indication that Wukan peasant delegates would be allowed to stand in local elections, because villagers are now complaining that officials have gone back on their word. This week it was also being reported that Chinese citizens who had expressed sympathy with the uprising were being called in "to drink tea" with police.

But central government are unlikely to pick a significant fight in Wukan any time soon. From their perspective, it would be preferable to let things cool down, and allow the story to die a death. However, there are growing indications that the national export-led economy is being dragged down by rising recessionary tides in the western world. Factory bosses have already been compelled to attack jobs, wages and conditions across the country, and a strike movement seems to be gathering pace. During the first recession of this global depression, Chinese leaders threw money at the problem, and seemed to have headed off a broad revolt. But that money has now been spent, and indeed led to more problems, as a property bubble seems fit to burst.

We are in unchartered territory here, so the future develoment of Chinese struggles is difficult to predict. But we can be sure that turmoil in China will have a huge impact around the world, due to the country's pivotal role in commodity production. It it now possible to envisage a largescale uprising of the Chinese industrial proletariat, which would no doubt find support in peasant villages like Wukan. To paraphrase the supposed Chinese curse, we may live in very interesting times.

Infantile Disorder
- Homepage: http://infantile-disorder.blogspot.com/

Comments

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Explain!

04.01.2012 20:09

"The villagers of Wukan in south-east China appear to have won a victory over the misnamed Communist Party regime, and prevented the sale of some communal land. This triumph is the result of direct action, direct democracy, and the community's ability to get the word out, in spite of government censorship. These factors will be crucial in 2012, as factory workers come into conflict with multinational corporations in the cities. "

Spreading democracy by direct action in a Communist state.

Exactly how does this differ from United States government foreign policy?

Knot-Eyed Jaguar.


western liberal left are unable and unwilling to understand Chinese society

04.01.2012 20:40

Infantile disorder has an ifantile and thouroughly westernised view of Chinese society. Wukan was not, as infantile disorder describes, a victory over the Communist Party regime, but a victory against corruption which is present in all societies at all levels. What the Chinese state has done is to come out and state that the villagers of Wukan have legitimate grievances against the corrupt local officials, likening the local Communist Party officials to "red apples with rotten cores".

Zhu Mingguo, a deputy Communist Party secretary of southern Guangdong province, who last week helped broker a compromise between the government and residents of Wukan village, said "In terms of society, the public's awareness of democracy, equality and rights is constantly strengthening, and their corresponding demands are growing. Public consciousness of rights defense is growing, and the means used to defend rights are increasingly intense," said Zhu. "Their channels for voicing grievances are diverse, and there is a tendency for conflicts to become more intense."

Get it straight - these protests are not percieved as a threat by the Chinese Communist Party. They easily have the capability to crush such protests - which normally the liberal western left would hope for so they can run and cry about how repressive the Chinese regime is. Instead there was dialogue and a continuing negotiation with public support for the demands of the villagers from the central party. Can you ever imagine the British state coming out in support of blockading villagers protesting against sell offs to big business?! No!

China has many social contradictions as a result of the economic reforms of recent decades, reforms which have been historic in many achievements such as lifting over 300 million out of abject poverty, nevertheless the Chinese nation will continue to meet the challenges of socialist construction in the typically wise and successful Chinese way.

MsT


Differences

05.01.2012 09:04

"Exactly how does this differ from United States government foreign policy?"

In ways you do not have the intellectual ability to understand.

The real Knot-Eyed Jaguar


Try again.

05.01.2012 11:13

"In ways you do not have the intellectual ability to understand."

Hmmmm, that's very weak so I'll repeat what was a question.

Exactly how does this differ from United States government foreign policy?

Take your time, no hurry.

Knot-Eyed Jaguar.


MsT, really?!

05.01.2012 11:28

MsT,

I take your point that most westerners struggle to fully understand chinese politics and the chinese peoples mindsets. But do you really think the government are on the peoples side? your first 2 sentences are spot on - it was a victory against corruption at all levels, and local political corruption is probably the most prevalant in China.

But the central govt is repressive and corrupt too. Fact. Who do you think censors the internet? Of course they come out saying they support the people, they're called Peoples Republic of China for crying out loud. It's part of their mantra.

The Communist Party are terrified of popular revolt - after all that's how Mao rose to power in the first place, by mobilising the 'peasants'. The masses, when angry, brave and informed enough, can create change. Remember Tianmen?! They'll try to avoid another one of them at all costs. And what about the oppression of the Jasmine Revolution stuff ?
It's all much more neo-liberal than it used to be, but it's still oppression. It's still wrong.

I'll stop now.... I should have probably ignored your comments in the first place.....

Wotzisname


But what about China!?

05.01.2012 12:34

Chinese ruling elite beats british (or western) ruling elite hands down every time. Don't believe the bullshit that says we have democracy in the west and those poor chinese need to be more like us.
China is big and there are lots of people there! The situation is complex. But at least they have greater connectivity within their society. Unlike in the UK where the old guard establishment runs the show, and thats that. As soon as there is any threat to the old guard they can become extremely violent. They have it sown up in the west so much so that they can allow us certain freedoms of expression, without worrying that something fundamental might change.... like regulating the banking system for example (i mean meaningful regulation!).
China is not the closed book one suspects it wishes it was. Things go in and out..... and there is and always has been tremendous paranoia about it, and within the ruling elite. The brutal repression (rarely done in any kind of subtle way) is an expression of this paranoia. The fear is not without cause however as China like the rest of the world has had to suffer centuries of meddling, extortion, and general pillaging by the 'west'.
The revolution of Mao was a classic revolution (meaning to turn full circle). Whilst representing a triumph of the peasants over the aristocrats, it failed to change the shape of the power structure, much the same as other revolutions which simply changed the rulers and not the way power is distributed. To turn full circle is to maintain authoritarian patriarchy just by another name. So Russian distribution of power for example is much the same under Putin as it was under Yeltsin and under stalin or the tzars for that matter. Authoritarian patriarchy is maintained.
AUTHORITARIAN PATRIARCHY IS THE PROBLEM!
We live on a shrinking planet, so any ideology which has at its core the philosophy of constant and everlasting growth and which directly correlates energy and resource usage with quality of life, is completely incompatible with our situation.
Non-authoritarian matriarchy replaces hierarchies with networks, and rather than worshipping growth and exploitation of resources the new priority is simply to create and maintain a safe and in fact wonderful environment in which to raise children. Communities are re-established, people reconnect to each-other and to the land...... and there's no need for Bob fucking Geldof!

cha-ching


Tariq Ali on China to a New Zealand audience last year

05.01.2012 15:06

If you don´t have time for the entire lesson a first hand report on the situation of villagers begins at 37:00

feng shui
- Homepage: https://radio.indymedia.org/en/node/18634