Al Jazeera Documentaries

Wukan: China's Democracy Experiment - Episode 1: Rebels to Politicians (2017x19)

Air date: Apr 03, 2017

An unprecedented election takes place in Wukan after villagers protest land grabs by corrupt local officials. 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.