PS324 Chinese Politics

Emerson NiouDuke University

摸着石头过河to feel the rocks on the riverbed as one crosses the river;to figure things out as one goes; to take things one step at a time

In 2010, a traffic jam on National Highway 110 near Beijing kept cars stuck in traffic for 10 days. The traffic jam itself went on for 60 miles. On average, the trapped vehicles were stuck moving about ⅓ of a mile per DAY. Though triggered by construction, the root cause for the congestion is chronic overcrowding on key national arteries. Beijing is particularly prone to traffic jams because it is a bottleneck point. Truck drivers in the jam kept themselves entertained by playing cards. Local vendors sold food to the unlucky motorists.

According to official statistics, there were 74,000 mass incidents in 2004 with a total of 3.7 million citizens taking part. In 2005, the number of mass incidents with at least 15 participants totaled 87,000. more than 200 a day, involving over four million Chinese.

According to the New York Times authorities recorded 127,000 so-called mass incidents in 2010 but most were too small to gain wide notice. According to figures from the China Academy of Social Sciences fights over land account for 65 percent of rural “mass conflicts” and is also a serious problem in cities.

Protests and Demonstrations Numbers in China

A boat that sailed with activists from Hong Kong, center, is surrounded by Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands on August 15, 2012.