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Private Notes
In China's village of Wukan, an unprecedented election is underway. Wukan hit international news headlines in late 2011 when villagers protested against illegal land grabs by corrupt local officials. The uprising ended with promises of a free and fair election plus the return of Wukan’s land.
Jiancheng, 27, who was arrested during the uprising, now stands as a popular candidate for the election. Lin Zuluan, 68, is another former rebel leader who stands as the primary candidate for village chief. Jiancheng’s younger brother, Jianxing, is the citizen journalist who kept the world informed of the uprising and is now covering the election as it unfolds.
We follow these characters through the days of this extraordinary vote to discover that nothing is straightforward when it comes to democracy. Even on voting day, Jiancheng has to deal with an unexpected event. From the vote to the first meeting of the newly elected village committee, watch the former rebel leaders become politicians as an extraordinary experiment with democracy in China begins.
Three months after the elections, village committee Chief Lin Zuluan makes headway with their plans to reclaim the land and new committee member, Jiancheng, is busy dealing with the mundane infrastructure problems of leaking pipes and rubbish disposal. Despite the promising start for the committee, things soon turn sour.
Jianxing discovers a conspiracy against the newly elected chief, and the villagers are impatient for the return of their land. Six months after the election the committee members are losing faith in democracy. On the anniversary of the 2011 uprising the villagers descend upon their newly elected committee and hold a shambolic protest demanding their land back. Committee members try to defend their positions but the chief is left furious.
With the village divided after the latest protests, committee members Jiancheng and Suzhuan try valiantly to continue their work for the unhappy villagers. For one committee member, Zhuang Liehong, life as an official is not what he expected and, in a surprise move, he resigns from the village committee.
The chief is struggling and refuses to accept visitors as he works from home. In an attempt to bring the village together the resigned committee member Zhuang Liehong and village chronicler Jianxing Zhang hold a memorial for Xue Jinbo who died in police custody during the uprising. The event is not sanctioned by the village committee and the divide in Wukan deepens.
The final episode starts with Chinese New Year celebrations and hopes for a fresh beginning in Wukan. It is not long before another committee member resigns in frustration. The chief refuses to give up on the village and democracy when he discovers some extraordinary news about the borders of Wukan and the stolen land.
One year after the election, the first piece of land is returned but when villagers arrive to inspect the land, their joy quickly turns to anger. Roadblocks, a police stand off and protests against the village committee bring the series, and this first year of democracy in a Chinese village, to a fiery end.
