Chinese City Expels Communist Party Officials

Wukan is home to the first ever "open revolt" in China's communist era, with authorities and police being chased out of town.

The southern Chinese city of Wukan has been the scene of a months-long protest against the Chinese government over plans to sell surrounding farmland to property developers. On Monday, the protests hit a new high never before seen in modern-day China – they expelled all party officials from the city after withstanding an assault by armed police. The city is, in the worlds of The Telegraph's Malcolm Moore, "in open revolt." The bulk of the fishing village's 20,000 residents have converged at a pagoda in the city square to voice their displeasure with the ruling regime, who they claim arrested local government officials who had attempted to mediate the situation. One of the representatives, Xue Jinbo, reportedly died in custody. The protests have forced police to abandon the city, but they have installed a security ring around Wukan and have prevented fishing boats from leaving the harbour. The city is relying on its reserves of rice, produce, and dried food for now, with all signs indicating that the Chinese government intends to starve the Wukan into submission.