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Chinese residents force relocation of Xiamen PX chemical plant, 2007

Summary

In November 2006, the Haicang District government in Xiamen, Fujian Province, announced a new paraxylene (PX) and terephthalic acid plant only 7 km from the city of 3.5 million; on 16 March 2007 Xiamen University professor Zhao Yufen addressed the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and 105 political advisors signed a petition to relocate the plant. [source: nv-database] SMS messages beginning 25 March called residents to a march on 1 June 2007, and on 1 June some 10,000 residents sporting yellow ribbons marched in front of the Xiamen municipal building chanting “Oppose any violence.” [source: nv-database] Construction was postponed on 30 May, formally cancelled in mid-June 2007, and the plant was moved inland in 2008. [source: nv-database]

Tactics used

Tactics used

Background

In November 2006, the Haicang District government announced that Dragon Aromatics and the Xianglu Group would invest 10.8 billion yuan in a paraxylene (PX) and terephthalic acid plant 7 km from central Xiamen, a city of about 3.5 million residents in southeastern Fujian Province. [source: nv-database] The chemical PX was considered particularly carcinogenic, and Chinese regulations required plants producing similar chemicals to be at least 10 km from residential areas. [source: nv-database] Concern began to grow in March 2007 when Xiamen University professor Zhao Yufen began publicly raising the plant’s environmental impact. [source: nv-database]

What happened

On 16 March 2007, Zhao Yufen addressed the annual CPPCC session on the environmental dangers of the plant, and by the end of the conference 105 political advisors submitted a suggestion that the plant be relocated. [source: nv-database] Local Southern Weekend journalist Lian Yue began writing extensively on the environmental dangers, and “I love Xiamen, No PX” graffiti stencils appeared throughout the city. [source: nv-database] As local censorship grew, outside newspapers (especially the Hong Kong Sun) became a primary source of information. [source: nv-database] On 25-26 March 2007, an SMS began circulating: “If the plant is built it would be like an atomic bomb over Xiamen… For our children and grandchildren act! Participate among 10,000 people, June 1 at 8am, opposite the municipal government building! Hand tie yellow ribbons! SMS all your Xiamen friends!” [source: nv-database] On the morning of 30 May, Xiamen Executive Vice-Mayor Ding Guoyan announced a temporary halt to the project and the creation of a new environmental impact assessment group. [source: nv-database] On 1 June 2007 at 8:00 AM, residents gathered in front of the Xiamen municipal building wearing yellow ribbons and “PX out!” signs; by 9 AM about 10,000 protesters began marching without clear leaders, peaking around noon as workers left businesses for lunch. [source: nv-database] Military police and local police alternated between blocking and standing on the periphery, but no violence occurred; protesters repeatedly chanted “Oppose any violence” and called for the resignation of local government head He Lifeng. [source: nv-database] Live-blog reports noted that supporters on the sidelines provided water and encouragement, that protesters sang the national anthem and regional identity songs, and that the march turned toward Xiamen University in the afternoon, where university officials and police closed the main campus gates to keep students from joining. [source: nv-database] Marching continued on 2 June 2007 with smaller numbers. [source: nv-database] In mid-June 2007, construction was formally cancelled pending environmental and community review, and in December 2007 over 90 percent of a local environmental oversight commission voted for the plant to be moved. [source: nv-database] In 2008 the plant was moved inland. [source: nv-database]

Key people & organizations

  • Zhao Yufen (Xiamen University professor, CPPCC member)
  • Lian Yue (Southern Weekend local journalist)
  • 105 CPPCC political advisors
  • Xiamen residents and students
  • University of Xiamen bloggers
  • Hong Kong Sun, mainland China newspapers (external amplifiers)
  • He Lifeng (Xiamen government head, vocal critic of CPPCC environmental concerns, opponent)
  • Ding Guoyan (Xiamen Executive Vice-Mayor, announced 30 May 2007 halt)
  • Dragon Aromatics and Xianglu Group (constructing companies, opponents)
  • Haicang District government (initial promoter of the project)

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The plant’s construction was postponed on 30 May 2007, formally cancelled in mid-June 2007, and the chemical plant was moved inland in 2008. [source: nv-database] Per the source’s scoring rubric, the campaign scored 6 out of 6 points on achieving specific demands/goals, 1 out of 1 on survival, and 3 out of 3 on growth (10 out of 10 total). [source: nv-database] The campaign was cited broadly as a model in the 2011 Dalian PX plant protests. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • A simple, repeatable SMS template (“PX out! / Yellow ribbons! / 8 AM / June 1”) turned a university-based petition into a city-wide march without identifiable leaders, making the protest hard to decapitate.
  • Coupling elite institutional pressure (105 CPPCC political advisors) with mass street action creates a “both/and” pressure profile that is harder to ignore than either alone.
  • A local government willing to issue a face-saving temporary halt (30 May 2007) can be moved to a permanent cancellation when street turnout exceeds expectations; the cancellation arrives after the march, not before.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-07-04 via t6_build.py

Last verified: 2026-07-09