Global Voices: China Censors Chemical Plant Protest

Residents of China’s southwestern Kunming city took to the streets on May 4, 2013 to protest against the potential production of a toxic chemical at a nearby factory.

According to state media, the China National Petroleum Corporation plans to build a chemical plant in the nearby town of Anning to produce 500,000 tonnes of paraxylene (PX) used to make fabric. Close to 3,000 people gathered in the city center to protest against the dangers of a possible PX spill.

China's state media kept the news of the protest quiet, and online censors have aggressively deleted information and photos about the demonstration on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo since May 4, 2013. Many Web users switched their Weibo profile photos to an image of “Kunming PX” crossed-out to show support.

Kunming is well-known for its flowers and plants thanks to its perpetual spring-like weather. It is one of the few Chinese cities that regularly enjoy clear blue skies.

Similar protests had erupted in different cities in recent years. In 2007, thousands of people in China's eastern Xiamen city protested the construction of a PX plant. In the past two years, two large NIMBY protests erupted in Dalian and Ningbo.

Protesters wore symbolic masks and brandished posters warning against the dangers of a paraxylene (PX) spill. (From Sina Weibo)

One Weibo user “Boluocun Yihao” from Kunming called for [zh] more support online:

媒体被控制，手机信号被切断，保卫人民生命安全的警察却没有保卫，＂XX石化炼油厂，滚出昆明！＂我们不要牛奶河，我们不要PM2.5，我们不要PX。希望大家可以接力转载，转发。保护我们的母亲昆明。

Media control, cell phone signals cut off, the police who are supposed to defend the safety of the people didn't protect the people, “XX petrochemical refinery, get out of Kunming!” We do not want milk river[a polluted river in Kunming has turned the color of milk], we do not want PM2.5 [pollution], we do not want PX. Please repost this message. Protect our mother Kunming.

Another Weibo user from Kunming criticized [zh] the media censorship:

那么大一个中国，只有《北京晚报》一家如实报道了昆明昨天发生的事。而且还不是亲自采访的，是引用网易的。据说中新社的采访了昨天的事，但是最后没能发表。新华社，央视更是能躲则躲…..中国已经没有媒体能为百姓说话了，同意的速转.

Such a big country, yet only “Beijing Evening News” truthfully reported what happened in Kunming yesterday. It was not an original report, but quoted from NetEase. It is said that China news agency did the interview yesterday, but was forbidden to publish in the end. Xinhua News Agency or CCTV hide as far away as they can….China has no media to speak for its people. Please repost the message if you agree.

A musician from Kunming “Yinyue Xiaosun” echoed [zh] the sentiment:

Sign reads: "Beatiful Kunming! We need to survive! We want to be healthy! PX—out of Kuming !"

Banner reads: “Beautiful Kunming! We need to survive! We want to be healthy! PX—out of Kunming !” (From Sina Weibo)

各位昆明的媒体朋友，我理解你们的工作，就像我们理解今天的警察哥哥，警察叔叔，警察姐姐一样。但是，你们都生活在昆明，都爱自己家乡，都希望自己的孩子呼吸新鲜的空气，不是吗？？不是吗？不是吗？

Media friends in Kunming, I understand your work, just like we understand today's police. But you live in Kunming. We all love our own hometown and want our children to breathe the fresh air, don’t you?? Don’t you? Don’t you?

Weibo user “Kong Batian” recalled [zh] the World Horticultural Exposition in Kunming in 1999:

14年前的今天，在“人与自然，和谐发展——共同迈向21世纪”的口号下，昆明人满怀激动与自豪迎来了中国第一个世博会！而14年后的今天，云南人竟然要为了自己的生存环境走上街头进行抗争！这真是对昆明人民莫大的讽刺！

14 years ago, under the theme of “man and nature, marching into the 21st century”, the Kunming people ushered in the first World Expo in China with pride and excitement! 14 years later, Yunnan people had to take to the streets to fight for the environment! This is the great irony for the Kunming people!

Many Weibo users quoted [zh] a poem written by famous journalist Bai Yansong:

Sign reads “Uncle and aunt, we need clean air!” (From Sina Weibo)

用不了多久，这座城市将慢慢退出人们的视线，沦为历史的鸡肋，美丽的传说将永远成为传说，没有人会对此负责，应该对此负责的人早已离开了这个城市，甚至这个国家，他们的子女早已远居海外，留下的只是一个破烂污染的废城，一方癌症的区域，一群朴实、愚昧的人民，这个城市叫作昆明。

Soon the city will slowly become out of sight and forgotten by history. The beautiful legend will always be a legend. No one will be held responsible because the ones that should be have already left the city, and their children have already immigrated, leaving a tattered and polluted city with innocent people, a cancer area ….. this city is called Kunming.