On the weekend of May 10th 2014, protests erupted in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou over governmental plans to open a waste plant in the city. Thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate against the incineration. The protest turned violent when the public clashed with police forces. Over thirty cars were damaged and dozens of people got hurt (Bloomberg 2014). Chinese authorities detained sixty people following the protest. The national press tagged the blazing demonstration as the ‘5/10 event’. May 10th is not the first event in its sort; Chinese citizens are increasingly raising their voices by opposing the state on environmental issues. Are they fighting against pollution, or is there more at stake?

Opening the curtains on any smoggy Beijing morning, one can perceive China’s pollution crisis with the eye. At times the smog gets so heavy that even a nearby building can barely be seen from a distance. A quick look at the Air Quality Index shows unhealthy air throughout China. The severe degradation of air quality has caused a 5,5 year decrease in life expectancy in the northern regions (Xu 2014). Pollution of China’s soil, water and air has become a serious risk to China’s public health.

Over the past decade, environmental activism is on the rise in urban and rural China. Although the central government has made efforts to protect the environment, local officials continuously place economic growth before environment (Li et al 2012, 65; Economy 2007). In recent years, demonstrations against the installations of waste or chemical plants have led to confrontations between protestors and police over multiple occasions. Before the escalation of the Yuhang protest in May 2014, there were demonstrations in Maoming (April 2014), Kunming (May 2013), Ningbo (October 2012) and many other places. Environmental activism has become a recurring topic in China’s headlines, especially because these protests involve angry citizens and outbursts of violence.

 
“Are these kinds of public protests solely driven by worries about (local) environment, or are there more issues involved?”
 

China has had severe environmental problems for a long time. A 1988 investigation into China’s water quality already found that 436 of 532 rivers were badly polluted (Jun 2003, 209). Environmental problems have actually been ubiquitous in China for centuries (Xu 2014). The recent dramatic increase in protests is undeniably linked to the growing health hazards as a result of pollution, but in the context of the general rise in social protest, environment is not the sole reason Chinese citizens are taking their discontent to the streets.

The occurrence of social protests within China has been on the rise since the 1990s. The country’s rapid industrialization has caused a myriad of problems aside from those linked to environment: the decrease of certain forms of welfare, deterioration of living conditions, the loss of housing or land without compensation, etc. Different grievances have caused frustration amongst citizens. And because of a decline in social control from the central government (due to, amongst others, greater power of local authorities), there is also more opportunity for public protest (Chen 2011,13).

 
“What is the ‘stench of pollution’ to an outsider may be ‘the sweet smell of money’ to local residents”
 

So are the demonstrations against (local) pollution just protests for the sake of protesting? Not entirely. To a great extent, they are about the hazards of pollution. The protests for clean water in China’s so-called ‘cancer-villages’ are very real. But there are also many examples where serious pollution has not led to protests, whereas not-so-serious pollution has. This is because there are economic and social factors that determine whether or not citizens take their grievances to the street. “What is the ‘stench of pollution’ to an outsider may be ‘the sweet smell of money’ to local residents” (Deng&Guobin 2013, 322). Local residents may be economically depended on a waste plant for their income- in some cases, the economic benefits come before the health hazards. When one’s own neighbor is the one who causes local pollution through his business, local residents might choose community relations over environmental risks (Deng&Guobin 2013, 323). The studies that have been done on the relation between pollution and protest have shown that they are not necessarily directly connected. In other words, these protests should be placed in their context. Chen (2011) calls them a “‘cross-sector’ phenomenon” (11) – political or economic issues aside from pollution might be the determining factors that lead to the decision whether or not to protest.

The chemical plant in one’s hometown is a curse to some and a blessing in disguise for other social groups who are economically dependent on it. Does this mean that one should not take environmental protests too seriously? On the contrary. But one should look beyond environment to see what other (political, economic, social) issues might be playing a role. Whatever issues are at the root of the protests, they should be addressed. In the end, the environment and the nation at large will only benefit from a better communication between the public, local authorities and the central government. From this perspective, the recent protests against pollution might just be the breath of fresh air China needs.

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About the Author: Manya Koetse is the editor of What’s on Weibo. She’s a Sinologist who splits her time between the Netherlands and China. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Literary Studies, Japanese & China Studies and completed her MPhil in Asian Studies. Contact: manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.[/box]

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