In recent days, a large-scale conflict erupted in Tongguang Village, Lengkeng Town, Huaiji County, Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province due to the issue of private sale of collective land. Hundreds of villagers clashed with the construction party from the morning until late at night, resulting in at least one person injured and over ten individuals taken away by the police. This incident represents the latest case of frequent rural land disputes in Guangdong Province.
On the morning of November 12th around 9 a.m., the local government dispatched a large number of personnel to enter Tongguang Village in an attempt to resume construction projects that had been halted due to villagers’ obstruction. According to eyewitness accounts, three buses loaded with personnel and two ambulances entered the village that day.
Upon the arrival of the construction workers, they formed a human wall with shields to prevent villagers from approaching. Upon hearing this, villagers set off fireworks as a warning signal and rallied more villagers to support them. A physical conflict ensued, during which the rights protection tent set up by villagers was destroyed, and at least one female villager was injured.
The conflict persisted from morning until around 11 p.m. During this time, villagers threw mud at the opposing side to express their protest. Despite the majority of villagers present being women and elderly individuals, they stood their ground. That night, the local government once again deployed police forces to the village, resulting in over ten villagers being taken away by the police, only to be released later that day.
At the heart of this conflict lies a large-scale project known as the “Zhaoqing Dinghe Sandou Livestock Breeding Project.” The project plans to occupy a total land area of approximately 3,200 mu, involving three villages: Sandou Village in Huicheng Street Office of Huaiji County, Gangshan Village in Lengkeng Town, and Tongguang Village in Lengkeng Town. It aims to construct a modernized breeding facility capable of producing 500,000 fattened pigs annually, with a total investment exceeding 1.7 billion yuan.
Zhao Xinyi, a villager from Tongguang Village (pseudonym), pointed out in an interview with Epoch Times that the village committee has leased some farmland and mountainous areas to this project and a solar energy project for a period of 30 years.
“The land was sold by the village cadres. We heard that the farmland and mountainous areas were leased out for 30 years, with over 2 million yuan as rent, but we, the villagers, didn’t receive a single cent,” Zhao Xinyi said.
Zhao Xinyi further mentioned that this rent “went into the pockets of the village cadres,” and despite villagers’ repeated requests for disclosure of accounts and contracts, the village cadres are currently nowhere to be found.
Another villager, Liu Yunlong (pseudonym), confirmed this statement. Liu Yunlong told Epoch Times that villagers only learned about the land being leased this year, with “millions as rent, but the villagers haven’t received any money.”
He stated that villagers demanded the village committee to disclose accounts and show contracts, but the response they received was “there’s no contract.” Liu Yunlong pointed out that due to the land occupation, villagers now have no fields to cultivate.
Upon investigation by reporters, it was found that the winning bidder for the “Zhaoqing Dinghe Sandou Livestock Breeding Project” is Zhongshan Power Engineering Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise. As of 2025, this company has been involved in 35 judicial cases, with 28 court judgments.
The project’s joint entity is Zhongshan Guangjian Engineering Construction Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise jointly invested by Guangdong Provincial Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and Zhongshan Transportation Development Group Co., Ltd.
In addition to economic distribution issues, villagers have expressed concerns about the project’s environmental impact.
Zhao Xinyi pointed out that the pig farm is only about 2 kilometers away from the village’s water source, stating that “there will definitely be pollution.” He mentioned that construction began last October, with “dozens of vehicles entering every day, and our village is a must-pass route.”
Liu Yunlong added that aside from the pig farm, hundreds of mu of land have been used for the construction of a solar energy project. This land originally served as farmland and mountainous regions that villagers relied on for survival. After the land was occupied, villagers not only lost their farmland but also received no compensation in return.
Tongguang Village is home to thousands of villagers. According to disclosures made by local villagers, they began a rights protection campaign in August of this year to block the construction team from entering for operation. On October 17th, villagers successfully intercepted multiple construction vehicles and clashed with individuals attempting to forcibly take the vehicles away. With villagers standing firm, the project was at a standstill until November 12th when authorities once again sent a large number of personnel to attempt to resume work.
Liu Yunlong stated that the villagers’ rights protection efforts have been ongoing for five to six months, saying, “They just keep dragging it out, saying they will handle it for us, but up to now, there hasn’t been any resolution.”
The land dispute in Tongguang Village is not an isolated case. Since 2018, Guangdong Province has launched the “Three Cleans, Three Demolitions, Three Rectifications” campaign aimed at clearing debris from village lanes, front of houses, and the demolition of dangerous buildings and illegal constructions. This campaign has sparked numerous land disputes and forced demolitions during its implementation.
In January of this year, violence erupted during the forceful demolition of an old house in Shangai Village and Pingzhai, Lengkeng Town, Huaiji County. The demolition team, composed of government personnel and police, clashed with villagers during the process, resulting in the arrest of one protesting villager. Local villagers stated that the government did not seek consent before demolishing the house and refused to show relevant documentation.
Since the beginning of this year, various towns including Fenggang Town, Dagang Town, and Maning Town in Huaiji County have witnessed incidents of forcibly demolishing old houses. Some villagers have shared on social media that despite the government’s promise to compensate at a rate of 450 yuan per square meter, many still have not received compensation years after their houses were demolished.
Similar disputes are unfolding in other areas of Guangdong. On August 21st of this year, villagers in Shuanglong Village, Yangchun City, accused the government of forcibly expropriating land without compensation. From June 28th, netizens revealed in Chaokeng Village, Lianrao Town, Raoping County, Chaozhou City, that the village secretary colluded with the town government to forcibly destroy farmland without prior notice or explanation, and also privately contracted the land for profit, leaving villagers with “no land to cultivate and no water to use.”
As of the time of writing, the land dispute in Tongguang Village remains unresolved, with the construction project at a standstill, and the local government and village committee have yet to publicly respond to the villagers’ queries.