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 examining environmental protests in rural China, focusing on two specific cases. Although these cases were documented by this author in the course of fieldwork that ended more than nine years ago, they are indicative of environmental protests currently taking place in rural China. This is partly because China’s environmental disputes in general continue to evolve into protests. The environmental protection establishment in the People’s Republic every year receives a flood of angry letters of complaint against environmental abuse. In 1997, the number of such letters was 100,000. By 2002, the number reached 400,000. And at the end of 2006, the number exceeded 600,000. Apart from letter writing, protesters seek out central and local environmental protection agencies to petition for problem resolution. On average, 80,000 people annually submitted environmental petitions over the past 10 years.
