Tangshan Protest
Encyclopedia
In 2004 more than 11,000 farmers in Hebei Province of China signed a petition calling for the removal of Communist Party officials who were allegedly involved in corruption. The protest led to a crackdown on rights activists and further repression of the farmers.
prefecture of Hebei Province to make way for the Taolinkou reservoir, some 100 km (62.1 mi) to east of Beijing. By 2004, more than eight years after they had been moved, the displaced farmers had not been properly compensated. The farmers asserted that up to 60 million yuan of compensation funds had been misappropriated by officials from the local Government. They said they were owed 13,000 yuan (U.S. $1,570) per household in compensation but some had received only half the amount, while others had received nothing http://www.rfa.org/english/news/2004/06/07/137930/.
Under the leadership of Zhang Youren, a peasant activist, the farmers organised a petition. They were given advice and encouragement by Yu Meisun and Li Boguang
, both legal scholars, and Zhao Yan
a journalist with the magazine China Reform. The petition, signed by 11,238 farmers, was entitled “The request to remove the National and Heibei Province People's Congress Representative status of Tangshan Municipal Communist Party Secretary, Zhang He”. The petition described the living conditions of the displaced farmers and how previous appeals had led to beatings, detention and forced labour. http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/4-3-26/20580.html
In February 2004, a group of ten farmer representatives travelled to the capital to submit their petition to the National People's Congress. In his opening speech to the Congress, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
promised a crackdown on corruption and illegal land seizures http://www.probeinternational.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=9671. Nevertheless, the farmers from Tangshan were rounded up by the Beijing police who accused them of being Falungong members and subversives http://www.probeinternational.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=9692. Zhang Youren was put under pressure to denounce the 'criminals' who had supported the petition. Zhao Yan quickly lost his job with the China Reform magazine and by the end of the year he had been imprisoned; he was still in jail two years later when the authorities finally convicted him of fraud http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/226736/1/.html. Li Boguang was arrested in December 2004 but released after a few weeks on condition that he had no further involvement in farmer protests http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=8103. Yu Meisun, who had already served an earlier jail sentence, was able to publish an online diary that gave details of police harassment.
"Since early this year, displaced people from Tangshan and Qinhuangdao here in Hebei, and Fu'an City and Minhou Country in Fujian whose rights have long been violated have been demanding the recall of their Party Secretaries and mayors, making 2004 a landmark year for peasant activism. But these campaigns have been unlawfully suppressed by local police. The corrupt officials who are targets of the people's boiling grievances haven't been affected at all... This will ultimately lead the peasants to despair of any method but rebellion, and we'll see a new peasant revolution. In a couple of days, I'll go to Tangshan to visit Zhang Youren. Let's see if Zhang He has the nerve to arrest and charge me!
Details of the Protest
Between 1992 and 1997, 23,000 Chinese farmers were resettled in TangshanTangshan
"唐山"redirects here. For an alternative name of China, see Names of China#TangTangshan is a largely industrial prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has become known for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and killed at least...
prefecture of Hebei Province to make way for the Taolinkou reservoir, some 100 km (62.1 mi) to east of Beijing. By 2004, more than eight years after they had been moved, the displaced farmers had not been properly compensated. The farmers asserted that up to 60 million yuan of compensation funds had been misappropriated by officials from the local Government. They said they were owed 13,000 yuan (U.S. $1,570) per household in compensation but some had received only half the amount, while others had received nothing http://www.rfa.org/english/news/2004/06/07/137930/.
Under the leadership of Zhang Youren, a peasant activist, the farmers organised a petition. They were given advice and encouragement by Yu Meisun and Li Boguang
Li Boguang
Li Boguang is a Chinese legal scholar and human rights activist. Director of the Quimin Research Institute in Beijing, Dr. Li has supported farmers in seeking compensation for confiscated farmland...
, both legal scholars, and Zhao Yan
Zhao Yan
Zhao Yan is a Chinese researcher employed by the Beijing bureau of the New York Times. He was imprisoned for a three year period starting 17 September 2004, on charges of fraud, after originally being arrested for revealing state secrets...
a journalist with the magazine China Reform. The petition, signed by 11,238 farmers, was entitled “The request to remove the National and Heibei Province People's Congress Representative status of Tangshan Municipal Communist Party Secretary, Zhang He”. The petition described the living conditions of the displaced farmers and how previous appeals had led to beatings, detention and forced labour. http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/4-3-26/20580.html
In February 2004, a group of ten farmer representatives travelled to the capital to submit their petition to the National People's Congress. In his opening speech to the Congress, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
promised a crackdown on corruption and illegal land seizures http://www.probeinternational.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=9671. Nevertheless, the farmers from Tangshan were rounded up by the Beijing police who accused them of being Falungong members and subversives http://www.probeinternational.org/tgp/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=9692. Zhang Youren was put under pressure to denounce the 'criminals' who had supported the petition. Zhao Yan quickly lost his job with the China Reform magazine and by the end of the year he had been imprisoned; he was still in jail two years later when the authorities finally convicted him of fraud http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/226736/1/.html. Li Boguang was arrested in December 2004 but released after a few weeks on condition that he had no further involvement in farmer protests http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=8103. Yu Meisun, who had already served an earlier jail sentence, was able to publish an online diary that gave details of police harassment.
Personal Account
Yu Meisun's diary includes the following account by Zhao Yan:"Since early this year, displaced people from Tangshan and Qinhuangdao here in Hebei, and Fu'an City and Minhou Country in Fujian whose rights have long been violated have been demanding the recall of their Party Secretaries and mayors, making 2004 a landmark year for peasant activism. But these campaigns have been unlawfully suppressed by local police. The corrupt officials who are targets of the people's boiling grievances haven't been affected at all... This will ultimately lead the peasants to despair of any method but rebellion, and we'll see a new peasant revolution. In a couple of days, I'll go to Tangshan to visit Zhang Youren. Let's see if Zhang He has the nerve to arrest and charge me!
Further reading
- Diary of a Peasant Advocate, Yu Meisun, China Rights Forum, 2004/3, pages 61-67 http://iso.hrichina.org/fs/downloadables/pdf/downloadable-resources/The_Diary_of_a_Peasant_Advocate.pdf?revision_id=16047.
- Selected reports on Incidents relating to forced evictions, March 2003 - January 2005, Congressional Executive Commission on China http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/rol/forcedevictionchart.pdf
- Property Seizure in China, Roundtable Report, 21 June 2004, Congressional Executive Commission on China http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_house_hearings&docid=f:94854.pdf.
- Ruling the Chinese Countryside: Rights Consciousness, Collective Action and Property Rights, Christopher Heurlin, 2006, University of Washington, http://www.yale.edu/scr/Heurlin.pdf#search=%22%22Land%20Expropriation%20and%20Rural%20Conflicts%20in%20China%22%22
- Chinese Society: Change Conflict and Resistance, Elizabeth Perry (ed.), 2003, Routledge http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415301696
See also
- Zhang Youren, farmer activist
- Yu Meisun, lawyer
- Li BoguangLi BoguangLi Boguang is a Chinese legal scholar and human rights activist. Director of the Quimin Research Institute in Beijing, Dr. Li has supported farmers in seeking compensation for confiscated farmland...
, lawyer - Zhao YanZhao YanZhao Yan is a Chinese researcher employed by the Beijing bureau of the New York Times. He was imprisoned for a three year period starting 17 September 2004, on charges of fraud, after originally being arrested for revealing state secrets...
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- Empowerment and Rights InstituteEmpowerment and Rights InstituteThe Empowerment and Rights Institute is a Chinese non-governmental organization . The organization has worked with Human Rights issues in the People's Republic of China since 2003...
- List of Chinese dissidents
- Human rights in the People's Republic of ChinaHuman rights in the People's Republic of ChinaHuman rights in the People's Republic of China are a matter of dispute between the Chinese government, other countries, international NGOs, and dissidents inside the country. Organizations such as the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have accused the Chinese...