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Wukan: a village living in fear following arrest of party chief

Some villagers sleep with gongs beside their beds so they can alert others to danger

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Villagers carry banners reading “Plead to the central government to help Wukan” and “Wukan villagers don't believe Lin Zuluan took bribes” during a protest in Wukan on June 22. Photo: Reuters

The remote eastern Guangdong fishing village of Wukan might look peaceful on the surface but its residents are haunted by fear, especially when night falls.

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That fear has led to the recent rise of the Wukan night-watchers, mostly young men on motorcycles, who guard important points and alleyways, such as those housing the family of the village’s detained Communist Party chief, Lin Zuluan.

He has not taken a single dime of salary when serving as party secretary
Yang Zhen, Lin Zuluan’s wife

It has also seen villagers go into exile or hiding, while others sleep with gongs beside their beds so they can alert other households to danger.

“I sleep with the lights on, it’s been three days since I have slept properly,” a 14-year-old girl from Wukan said.

“Some of my classmates even organise sleepovers due to fears special police might storm in at any minute to arrest people.”

Authorities must solve the Wukan land dispute through compromise

Wukan made international headlines in 2011 when villagers, united in resistance to land seizures and corruption, won the right to direct elections for village leaders. However, the problems have not been solved, with villagers blaming inaction by higher-level governments for the lack of progress.

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