Chinese farmer Yang Youde had other ideas when he was told that he was going to hand the land that he had leased until 2019 over to property developers for the paltry sum of 130,000 yuan ($19,030).
He didn’t want “department buildings” built on his little slice of central Hubei province. Rather than go quietly he got creative and constructed a cannon that fires locally sourced fireworks rockets out of a wheelbarrow and pipes to defend his land against eviction teams. That is something he has had to do twice – the first time against a mob of about 30.
He told China Daily:
I shot only over their heads to frighten them. I didn’t want to cause any injuries.
It has not been reported whether any of the attackers were injured by the rockets, which have a range of about 100 meters and explode with a bang. What is known is what happened to Youde when he ran out of ammunition. His attackers were less concerned about causing injuries and issued him with a beating.
The next time they came, the attackers numbered about 100, but Youde had learned from his mistakes and was able to hold them at bay until police arrived to disperse the thugs.
In case you are wondering, the translation of Youde’s sign reads:
Open and fair actions in accordance with the law. Oppose using public power for personal reasons.
Forgive me if I am mistaken but doesn’t a farmer being evicted to help property developers make more money contravene the most basic tenets of communism?
[…] 6. Chinese farmer fends off land grabbers with homemade cannon […]