On March 17th and 18th, hundreds of villagers in Wangyong Village, Shuikou Town, Xinyi City, Guangdong Province, protested against the construction of a funeral parlor near their residential area. Authorities deployed a large number of riot police to suppress the protest, resulting in villagers being injured and detained.
The Xinyi City government announced the public evaluation of the Xinyi Yifu Park funeral parlor project on March 16th, stating that the construction location in the suburban area of Malutang had no residents within a radius of 500 meters. The planned land area was over 50,000 square meters, with a construction period from March to the end of December, totaling an investment of 145 million yuan.
This announcement sparked protests from surrounding villagers, with Wangyong Village being the nearest village to the funeral parlor, located only 700 meters away. Villager Li Jun revealed to a reporter that the land acquisition was previously under the guise of building a road, so villagers were unaware of the funeral parlor project until the public announcement on the 16th when they learned that the foundation had already been completed.
On March 17th, hundreds of villagers gathered at the village committee to protest, and the local government dispatched a large number of riot police with shields to suppress the protest. Li Jun stated that there were around two to three hundred villagers present, facing off against an equal number of riot police. A physical altercation ensued, resulting in one villager being injured and others being detained.
Video footage from the scene showed a large group of riot police with shields lined up in front of the village committee, facing off against villagers, leading to chaos as the riot police pushed and shoved villagers, who resisted barehanded, escalating into a fierce confrontation.
Failing to resolve the issue with the village committee, on March 18th, villagers collectively marched to the Xinyi City government to protest. However, as of the time of reporting, the villagers’ demands remained unaddressed.
According to information obtained from her family, Fang Fei, an outsider from the village, stated that all entrances to the village were blocked, requiring identification for entry. Furthermore, the road to the city government was also sealed off. She mentioned that even neighboring villages were experiencing power outages from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Village officials were warned not to participate in the villagers’ protests.
Li Jun also disclosed that news of the conflict had been blocked, and videos could no longer be shared. The project’s proximity to the residential area of villagers, the Wangyong Elementary School just 600 meters away, and the village’s water source being very close raised concerns among residents. Fang Fei expressed that beyond environmental pollution, the fear of having a funeral parlor located in a densely populated area instilled fear among villagers, making the project unacceptable to them. She further revealed that the project had faced strong opposition in multiple locations where it was proposed, but villagers were surprised to find it at their doorstep this time.
In 2019, a similar clash occurred over the construction of a crematorium in Hualu Town. On November 28th, 2019, residents of Wenlou Town in Hualu City petitioned in front of the town government to protest the construction of a crematorium, leading to violent suppression by a large number of riot police, sparking unrest among the villagers. This resulted in overturned government vehicles, damaged police cars, police brutality against and arrest of protesters, tear gas and water cannons deployed to disperse the crowd, with protesters retaliating with bricks and firecrackers, resulting in multiple injuries. On November 29th, the Hualu City government announced a temporary halt to the project. On December 1st, authorities declared that the crematorium would never be built in the town.
On December 16th of the same year, there were significant protests in Boyang Town. The authorities intended to relocate the unfinished crematorium from Wenlou Town to Boyang Town, triggering mass protests where hundreds of residents surrounded the town government. Hundreds of riot police used tear gas to suppress the protests, leading to intense clashes. That night, the Boyang Town government pledged not to build a funeral parlor in the town.