Environmental protests in rural China

Abstract

The problems of air pollution, soil erosion and fouled water in China have become so grave that they are reported in the Chinese press practically every day, often accompanied by announcements of government plans to combat one ecological failing after another. What the Chinese news media rarely mention, however, is how ordinary people are reacting to the country’s deepening environmental crisis. This question is addressed here by looking at environmental protests in rural China, focusing on two specific cases. Environmental protests in the People’s Republic are a relatively recent phenomenon. The promulgation of China’s first environmental law, in 1979, has not only provided a legal basis for environmental protection but also enhanced the public’s sense of basic rights in favour of justifying forceful, sometimes even violent, environmental protests. Such protests embody a rich, culturally informed repertoire of social movements with roots in Chinese history. Specifically, kinship, popular religion, moral concerns and ancient tales of justice serve as important institutional and symbolic resources in the mobilization of protesters at the grassroots level. The interplay of these issues informs the social and cultural context in which rural environmental protests take place and are organized, usually with an emphasis on ecological improvements essential for people’s well-being rather than on trying to save the natural environment for its own sake.

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