Rare Footage of China's Land Grab

Wang · 16 Apr 2006

China Promises Probe
Updated: 19:12, Thursday April 13, 2006

The Chinese government has reacted to a Sky News special investigation exposing the human cost of China's booming economy.

An official spokesperson has agreed to investigate the injustices revealed by Sky News.

Our reporting team managed to take rare footage of people being forced out of their homes to make way for new developments.

Many of the victims are now living in tents on the land where their homes once stood.

An official Chinese government spokesperson has responded to the pictures, admitting they are not good for China's image in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.

"I will not deny that it happens in China, but I do think they're individual cases," said Counsellor Zhang Lirong.

Spokesman Zhang Lirong "China is in a period of rapid economic development and there are many problems that we face," he continued.

He promises that officials who do not act according to the law will be punished.

The local media is afraid to report what has been happening but the people affected have spoken out.

One woman said: "They're stealing our homes, it's theft, just theft. The poor have no human rights, no way of surviving. We've been everywhere for help."

Other film shows villagers being ousted from their land, with groups of hired thugs attacking residents and meeting stiff resistance.

While many of the poor now live in slums, property developers and government officials are making huge sums of money from China's property boom.

There is a land grab on an unprecedented scale and the full force of the state is being used to stop any opposition.

Video China's Land Grab Exposed

Here is the article.

Glenn · 16 Apr 2006

Is it telling that every time something like this is brought to light China is mostly worried about its image as it relates to the Olympics? What's going to happen after the Olympics are over?

bossel · 16 Apr 2006

Glenn said:
Is it telling that every time something like this is brought to light the China is mostly worried about its image as it relates to the Olympics? What's going to happen after the Olympics are over?

They'll probably have such a hard time to pay the debt produced by the Games that they forget the peasants again.

But, seriously, I doubt that they are mostly worried regarding the Olympics (that's just the face thingy towards the outside world). The national leaders are more worried about growing unrest among the rural population than anything else. The local & regional party leaders are not so worried about that & seem to just push the peasants around. I suppose, there is no easy solution to this problem.

Glenn · 16 Apr 2006

I wasn't so much saying that they were worried about the Olympics than to say that that seems to be the only reason they would be worried about violations against human rights, because it's such a widely publicized event. My main point is that it seems as though the only reason they would take human rights into account is that the world will be watching and that they don't want to be seen as unhumane. But once the world stops watching (as in after the Olympics) it will be fine to continue to violate human rights. As far as I've seen that's the stance that the Chinese government has taken.

Elizabeth · 16 Apr 2006

But once the world stops watching (as in after the Olympics) it will be fine to continue to violate human rights. As far as I've seen that's the stance that the Chinese government has taken.

I'm not sure that's their stance as much as the nature of a regime that has never taken human rights into account in their history, except maybe for gestures here and there before the visit of a foreign dignitary or for membership application into an international organization, etc. I doubt the Olympics alone will do very much to change that reality very fundamentally.

Glenn · 16 Apr 2006

That's basically my point. The only reason they see these things as a problem is that it could cause problems for them before or during the Olympics, and anything beyond that isn't worth considering. Therefore, they aren't concerned about human rights, but about not catching flack from the international community during a time that they are under the microscope, so to speak. Once the Olympics are over, they won't be under such a watchful eye, and will be able to violate human rights as they want, without fear of the backlash of the international community, because people won't be paying as much attention after the Olympics are over. That's how I see their response to such situations, anyway.

MajideSaiaku · 16 Apr 2006

Heh, the peasants uprising, the people who put the communists in power taking them out, now thats justice.

Im hoping china's issues are teething ones, in the industrial age of europe things werent perfect at all, the highland clearances of scotland being an example of "modernization", so we will just have to bear it and hope china sorts itself out soon.

Either way nothing from the outside can be done about it, all the major world powers have too much invested in china to upset them too much.

godppgo · 17 Apr 2006

nurizeko said:
Either way nothing from the outside can be done about it, all the major world powers have too much invested in china to upset them too much.

Agree. Reform and modernization have to come from the inside of China. The sad thing is, if you ask Chinese from the cities (non-peasants), most likely they'll give you an official statement like land grab is necessary for the "interest of the whole Chinese people".

bossel · 17 Apr 2006

godppgo said:
The sad thing is, if you ask Chinese from the cities (non-peasants), most likely they'll give you an official statement like land grab is necessary for the "interest of the whole Chinese people".

Not really. A lot of farmers actually started to protest openly. I've seen several documentaries on German TV by now in which Chinese peasants rail against land grab & arbitrary rule.

gs001 · 17 Apr 2006

That is an old topic of equity and efficiency.
I believe my taiwan-Japanese friend thirst for chaos ignited by
inequity in China, because that is the only chance for them
to split, but unfortunately, the probability seems not that high

4321go · 18 Apr 2006

nurizeko said:
Heh, the peasants uprising, the people who put the communists in power taking them out, now thats justice.
Im hoping china's issues are teething ones, in the industrial age of europe things werent perfect at all, the highland clearances of scotland being an example of "modernization", so we will just have to bear it and hope china sorts itself out soon.
Either way nothing from the outside can be done about it, all the major world powers have too much invested in china to upset them too much.

Thank you for your kind advice ~

I believe the laws will take effect.

godppgo · 18 Apr 2006

gs001 said:
That is an old topic of equity and efficiency.
I believe my taiwan-Japanese friend thirst for chaos ignited by
inequity in China, because that is the only chance for them
to split, but unfortunately, the probability seems not that high

Quite the opposite actually, some right wing fundamentalists in Taiwan actually want to see China to remain as a communist regime so Taiwan can gain international sympathy.

4321go · 18 Apr 2006

bossel said:
Not really. A lot of farmers actually started to protest openly. I've seen several documentaries on German TV by now in which Chinese peasants rail against land grab & arbitrary rule.

There are laws to protect the farmer and the poor people~ ,but the perform is not so perfect~~! the little things done to ride roughshod over the poor could not be excused! I hope more and more supervise form the outside and in could make the bucko being punished.

back to what most people here focus. the Chinese democracy. hope it will works fine when the democracy come in the near future~~

Henry G · 20 Apr 2006

I need to say some thing. I am a MAINLANDER living in the US.
It happens in my homecity too. I am so sad about that. But what the Chinese people expecting now is the overall development. If the whole pie become larger, everybody has the opportunity to get more. When people become richer, they will focus more on politics and in the end finish the political reform. Taiwan want independence because mainland is poorer and less democratic. No state want to split from the US. There is no room for Taiwan to independence. What Taiwan should do now is probably to wait for the situation in China turning good enough. An anounce for Independence will surely cause a war. No matter Taiwan can win or not, it is not the previous one. No mainlanders of taiwanese want to see a totally damaged Taiwan.
I am not satisfied with local government too. But it is a situation that cannot be changed in a short period of time. If the Japanese leader of the Bush face this kind of tradeoff, he cannot solve it either.

bossel · 21 Apr 2006

Henry G said:
No mainlanders of taiwanese want to see a totally damaged Taiwan.

Actually, in a Chinese forum I've seen quite some idiotic mainland nationalists supporting the notion of bombing Taiwan with nuclear weapons in case of independence. But then again, what can you expect from some nationalists who prefer war over letting an island have its way?

godppgo · 21 Apr 2006

bossel said:
Actually, in a Chinese forum I've seen quite some idiotic mainland nationalists supporting the notion of bombing Taiwan with nuclear weapons in case of independence. But then again, what can you expect from some nationalists who prefer war over letting an island have its way?

Chinese youths are the most nationalistic among all asian countries (except North Korea maybe). When I was visiting my gf's family in China, once her friends find out I am Taiwanese, they started a barrage of questioning and accusations like I am some sort of criminal. Afterwards I learned from my gf the best way to deal with them is just to say nothing. They are not looking for an exchange of ideas, they want YOU to agree with them. What's more amazing is the uniformity of their thinking, its like their brain all came out of the same factory or something....

Supervin · 22 Apr 2006

godppgo said:
What's more amazing is the uniformity of their thinking, its like their brain all came out of the same factory or something....

It's called State manufactured propaganda that is fed to each individual through all means of life: education, mass media, uninformed relatives and public civilians, Party officials and so on.

It's easy to know what to expect. They were taught that the CCP is the mother of China such that without it, it wouldn't survive; that Mao was the greatest leader in the whole of history; that China is on excellent grounds in terms of the quality of life with the rest of the world; that the KMT and Chiang Kai-shek were idiotic losers and non-participants in the Second Sino-Japanese War; that to oppose the CCP is the biggest sin ever; that to think the CCP could do wrong would be insane ... and the list goes on.

It takes a long time to put these people right, if at all possible. I've done so in the past and it has taken me months at least - and these were friends who were already slightly politically aware.

4321go · 22 Apr 2006

Supervin said:
It's called State manufactured propaganda that is fed to each individual through all means of life: education, mass media, uninformed relatives and public civilians, Party officials and so on.
It's easy to know what to expect. They were taught that the CCP is the mother of China such that without it, it wouldn't survive; that Mao was the greatest leader in the whole of history; that China is on excellent grounds in terms of the quality of life with the rest of the world; that the KMT and Chiang Kai-shek were idiotic losers and non-participants in the Second Sino-Japanese War; that to oppose the CCP is the biggest sin ever; that to think the CCP could do wrong would be insane ... and the list goes on.
It takes a long time to put these people right, if at all possible. I've done so in the past and it has taken me months at least - and these were friends who were already slightly politically aware.

Come on ,guy, you'v done what the churchman do ~

Have you ever watched the movie:<Fahrenheit 911>
The director Michael Moore would show you "The temperature where freedom burns!"
Michael Moore

Do you think that is a secret and people don't know it yet? if so,keep playing the role of the churchman~ I will support you ~

bossel · 22 Apr 2006

Supervin said:
It's easy to know what to expect. They were taught that the CCP is the mother of China such that without it, it wouldn't survive; that Mao was the greatest leader in the whole of history; that China is on excellent grounds in terms of the quality of life with the rest of the world; that the KMT and Chiang Kai-shek were idiotic losers and non-participants in the Second Sino-Japanese War; that to oppose the CCP is the biggest sin ever; that to think the CCP could do wrong would be insane ... and the list goes on.

Actually, it's much more complicated than that. There are hardcore nationalists who are opposed to the communists, there are communists who have a hard time with the current rise of nationalism. But mainly, there are a lot of people in between.

Minty · 23 Apr 2006

godppgo said:
Chinese youths are the most nationalistic among all asian countries (except North Korea maybe). When I was visiting my gf's family in China, once her friends find out I am Taiwanese, they started a barrage of questioning and accusations like I am some sort of criminal. Afterwards I learned from my gf the best way to deal with them is just to say nothing. They are not looking for an exchange of ideas, they want YOU to agree with them. What's more amazing is the uniformity of their thinking, its like their brain all came out of the same factory or something....

☝ Wooooooooo, I will remember that, if I ever visit China again. When I speak Mandarin I talk just like a Taiwanese but I am not really one just half considering I am born in Malaysia. I use to hold Malaysian passport but now I am Australian. I probably should just speak English to them, but I heard many can't speak English well though.

godppgo · 25 Apr 2006

Minty said:
☝ Wooooooooo, I will remember that, if I ever visit China again. When I speak Mandarin I talk just like a Taiwanese but I am not really one just half considering I am born in Malaysia. I use to hold Malaysian passport but now I am Australian. I probably should just speak English to them, but I heard many can't speak English well though.

Like bossel said, nationalism in China is a complicated mixed. There is no one general way to describe Chinese youth's nationlistic behavior. However, I did have some plesant experience interacting with Chinese people when I was in China. I had so much meaningful conversation with my gf's dad. He is one of the few Chinese who can see for themsevles what is important to them and what to strive for as an individual. I guess the more elder you are, the more wise you become. Young people in China tend to feel they have some sort of "mission" and they're all fired up and ready to do something. I really doubt their seriousness though. How can someone who has never experienced life commits himself to a cause that he doesn't not truly understand?

Anyways, don't think too much and have fun when you visit China next time!

Rare Footage of China's Land Grab

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