Zhang Jiancheng was a rebel with a cause. His detention with four other protesters in December sparked a stand-off in the southern Chinese village of Wukan, where 13,000 people faced down police in an 11-day siege.
After the provincial Guangdong government intervened in March and promised free elections, Mr Zhang, 26, was elected to the village committee. But after only six months in office, he is worried.
His committee, seen by some as a blueprint for a gradual move towards democracy in China, is being criticised by locals who say land sold to developers by a corrupt former village chief – allegations that sparked the original protests – has yet to be returned.
“The difference between their expectations and the reality is very high. Sometimes we feel like slaves,” complains Mr Zhang, sitting in the school playground where the vote for the committee was held.
The elections are seen by many to have been simply a tool to defuse anger, rather than a genuine step towards democracy. So, a year after their first major protest, Wukan’s frustrated villagers are again considering action. Even Mr Zhang’s younger brother supports fresh demonstrations, scheduled to start on Friday, as a way to prompt the Guangdong government to intervene.
Wang Yang, the Guangdong party chief who is a candidate to join China’s top decision-making body this year, said after last year’s protests that Wukan was an example of what happened when citizens felt ignored by officials. For others, the events in Wukan – when the villagers created their own administration and briefly stood outside the state’s control – became a symbol of what a more democratic China could look like. The protests also sparked copycat action.
