Thousands of Homeowners in Leshan, Sichuan Block Roads to Protest Having Their Household Registration “Transferred to Rural Status” (2026.05.09)
On the evening of May 9, thousands of homeowners from four residential developments near Sanhao Bridge in Shizhong District, Leshan, Sichuan — Shili Jiangwan, Binjiang Garden City, Jiazhou Waitan, and Feicui Binjiang — staged a collective demonstration to protest the Leshan municipal government’s reclassification of their household registrations as rural. During the protest, some homeowners temporarily blocked road traffic in the area.
Demonstrating homeowners stated that one of the primary reasons they purchased their properties in the first place was to obtain urban household registration (hukou), which would allow their children to access educational resources in the city’s school district. Having now been reclassified as rural residents, many homeowners — who had spent years of savings and continue to carry mortgage debt — say the decision is simply unacceptable.
“Workers at Chongqing Daming Electronics Go on Strike Demanding Higher Wages (2026.05.08)”
On May 8, workers at the Changshou branch of Daming Electronics in Chongqing launched a collective strike to protest wage cuts. During the protest, some workers went to the Changshou District government offices to petition for their rights.
According to the workers, their monthly wages have gradually fallen from around 5,000–6,000 yuan to only 2,000–3,000 yuan, resulting in a sharp decline in income. As of May 9, the workers and the company had still not reached an agreement.
On May 9, in Xuchang, Henan Province, a terrifying scene unfolded as two workers were left dangling and spinning mid-air after the steel cables of their suspended platform snapped during high-altitude work outside a Bank of China building. Footage from the scene reveals that because the workers were wearing prohibited three-point harnesses, they nearly slipped out of them while suspended. Fortunately, following an emergency rescue operation, both workers were brought to safety.
According to safety regulations, high-altitude personnel must be equipped with and use more secure five-point safety harnesses. Furthermore, the fact that both the primary and secondary cables of the platform snapped simultaneously highlights a severe breakdown in construction safety management and equipment maintenance.
Villagers in Sanya, Hainan, Hold Gas Tank to Resist CCP Demolition Team (May 9, 2026)
On May 9, another incident of violent forced demolition occurred at Lane 3, Wulu, Linchun Village, Jiyang District, Sanya City, Hainan Province. Video footage from the scene shows a male villager standing on a rooftop holding a gas tank, attempting to stop the CCP demolition team by threatening a “die-together” confrontation. Another female villager stood on the mechanical arm of an excavator, loudly denouncing the demolition personnel. During this ordeal, the excavator continued to move, and police on-site failed to intervene, creating an extremely dangerous situation.
Reports indicate that because the residents involved are not local villagers, the local government attempted to forcibly acquire their property at a low price of 800 yuan per square meter—a rate significantly lower than the compensation standard for local villagers. On March 18, the local government had previously attempted a forced demolition, which failed due to the family’s tenacious resistance.
Massive Protest Erupts in China’s Second-Largest Poverty Alleviation Resettlement Zone: Thousands Clash with Police, Besiege Police Vehicle (2026.05.07)
On May 7, a massive protest involving thousands of residents broke out in the Maojiawan Resettlement Area in Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province—the second-largest cross-county poverty alleviation resettlement site in China. The unrest was triggered by the forced imposition of parking fees by local street authorities and property management.
The protest escalated into a violent confrontation, resulting in a chaotic scene where a SWAT vehicle was besieged for an extended period and at least one villager was injured. Under the pressure of escalating public outcry, the local government eventually announced a suspension of the fees.
The Root Cause
The Maojiawan Resettlement Area is a flagship project of China’s “Relocation from Inhospitable Areas” policy, housing over 39,000 residents from five impoverished counties, including Ludian and Qiaojia. Long touted by officials as a “model project for poverty alleviation,” it aimed to move populations from high-altitude, isolated regions of the Wumeng Mountains into centralized urban settlements.
However, reality has not lived up to the propaganda. Many farmers, who previously relied on the land, found themselves without basic means of production upon arriving in the city. Lacking stable jobs and urban skills, many families now subsist on odd jobs, social security, or temporary income. Meanwhile, the cost of living—including property fees, utilities, insurance, and education—has surged. A typical family now spends approximately 15,000 RMB per year despite living frugally.
Some villagers have expressed a desire to return to their original homes, but those villages and houses were long ago demolished under the banner of “improving lives,” leaving them with no way back. One villager remarked:
“There is no land to farm here. Many of us are poorer than before. In the countryside, at least food and drink were free; we had land for vegetables and grain and no property fees.”
In this fragile economic state, the local community and property management suddenly announced that starting in May, a monthly parking fee of 360 RMB would be charged. For households already struggling with meager incomes, this was the breaking point. Adding to the fury is the fact that property management has consistently ignored issues like leaking roofs and broken facilities, often citing “unpaid property fees” as an excuse, yet they moved forward with new charges without providing legal basis or official government documentation.
The Resistance
The announcement triggered days of protests across several sectors. On May 6, a standoff occurred in “Plot 3” when authorities sent police to forcibly tow away protesting vehicles. Villagers blocked the tow trucks by standing on them, successfully halting the operation.
The Conflict
The situation reached a breaking point at noon on May 7 in “Plot 2.” After some villagers were blocked from driving into the complex, thousands gathered at the main gate. SWAT teams were deployed to suppress the crowd, leading to a physical clash that left one villager with a bleeding head wound. The officer involved reportedly retreated into a police vehicle, which was then surrounded by the angry crowd, preventing it from leaving the scene.
Government Concession
By that afternoon, facing intense public anger, a government official made three public promises via megaphone:
Immediate removal of property gates to allow free entry and exit for all vehicles, supervised by the Deputy Bureau Chief of Public Security.
Immediate suspension of all parking and property fee collections.
Formation of a special task force to hold community meetings and collect feedback on production, living conditions, employment, and property management.
Following these concessions, the crowds began to disperse.
Analysis
For years, such projects have been packaged as “poverty alleviation miracles” and political achievements. However, in practice, many relocated residents have not only lost their land and traditional livelihoods but have also failed to secure stable employment or social safety nets. In some regions, local governments and management companies have been accused of using these zones as “cash cows,” imposing various fees that push already vulnerable families to the brink.
On May 7, Jinbali Daycare at the Shangu Shengjing branch in Tengzhou, Shandong, was found to have been feeding children rotten meat and spoiled vegetables, prompting hundreds of parents to descend on the premises demanding answers. When confronted by parents, the owner threw a tantrum, rolling around on the ground and feigning unconsciousness. According to parents present, the owner was seen playing on their phone the moment they got into the ambulance.
On May 6, teachers at Tianshuo Kindergarten in Lishi District, Lüliang, Shanxi, staged a collective strike over unpaid wages. According to parents, tuition at the school runs 20,000 yuan per child per year — yet the school is not only unable to pay its staff, but has reportedly run out of money to purchase food for students’ meals.
On May 6, at an Agricultural Bank of China branch in Qianqing Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, a woman got into a confrontation with bank staff after being unable to withdraw her own savings, and smashed part of the bank’s facilities in the process. Hundreds of onlookers gathered at the scene. According to witnesses online, the reason she could not access her money was that the bank had used her deposits to purchase wealth management products without her consent. Other accounts suggested that the bank had allowed her husband to withdraw the funds without her authorization.
On the evening of May 5, outside the People’s Hospital in Wenling, Taizhou, Zhejiang, a mother who had just lost her son wept as she cried out: “In the emergency room of the People’s Hospital, it was all nurses — not a single doctor. My son came in complaining of stomach pain, and they let him die. From morning until evening, there was no doctor to be found. But they sent in riot police by the dozen to haul my son’s body away by force. Everyone calls them angels in white — they’re devils who kill without drawing blood.”
On the evening of May 5, in Changsha, Hunan, street vendors chose to destroy their snack carts—their sole means of livelihood—rather than allow them to be seized by urban management officers (Chengguan).
