protests – ThursdayAgain

China’s leadership must be seriously pissed that some of the largest recent outbreaks of urban unrest have been inside some of the country’s most previously prosperous cities. Reports of the worst current example, in the port city of Ningbo, involved thousands of people confronting riot police in a protest over plans to expand a chemical factory in the city. After 2-4 days (depending on which version you believe) of seriously violent demonstrations, the city government announced at the weekend that it was halting the project. For the moment at least, the protests appear to be subsiding (although even government sources admit they have not yet stopped completely).

Demonstrations were triggered by the same middle-class angst that resulted in huge demonstrations in the port cities of Xiamen & Dalian. All these demonstrations began after the announcement of projects involving the manufacture of paraxylene, a violently toxic chemical, which protesters feared would leak into their environment. Ningbo’s protests however, were unusual for their violence & their proximity (in both time & space) to a mega-political event of huge importance to the Communist Party. On 8th November the Party will begin its 18th congress in Beijing. So determined is it to prevent disruption of this event, & of a session immediately after it which will endorse sweeping changes to the country’s leadership, that taxis in the city have been ordered to disable the mechanisms that allow passengers to open rear windows. A Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, says this is because officials do not want people throwing dissident leaflets out of them. (Many drivers, it is reported, have yet to comply.)

The ruling Communist Party is particularly twitchy this year as the country’s economic growth stalls & members of the new middle class become more anxious about their prospects in the the short-term (even the official media sometimes hint at this). Another Chinese newspaper, the China Daily, reported recently on a survey of Beijing residents that was conducted by a government-sponsored think-tank in the capital. Only 1% of respondents said their quality of life had greatly improved in recent years (these were the respondents with the nice suits, cars & Central Party Membership cards), while 20% said it had improved slightly (these were the respondents with the slightly terrified looks who all gave false names). More than 35% said they felt no change (these respondents gave no name alt all), & more than 40% said their lives were worse (these respondents left the scene in unmarked vans, aided by state employees).

Even the state TV company has offered a rare hint that the party’s efforts to portray a country of growing happiness are being greeted by some with extreme cynicism. Beginning in late September it broadcast a series of programmes called “Reaching the grass-roots: people’s voices from within”. It was reported that producers of the series must have been somewhat disappointed if they expected their interviewees, who were asked how happy they were, to gush with satisfaction. Many dodged the question & some gave answers that were nonsensical or funny (the others of course claimed to be someone else).