Zhang Hongshang, a Beiguli villager in the Guli township of Xintai, Shandong has been trying to find explanations for his lost land since February 2003.

To his disappointment, four years passed, and despite various documents produced by the state aiming at land protection and the momentous 100-Day Campaign for National Land Law Enforcement launched by the Ministry of Land and Resources, his land and his neighbors' land have been occupied. New factories, houses also emerged in the nearby towns and counties; fast-growing poplars cropped in the farmland.

In 2003, the Shandong Shenghua Glass Joint Stock Co. Ltd. grabbed about 5 hectares of farmland from Beiguli village's 188 families. This company held its groundbreaking ceremony on the farmland without signing any kind of contract whatsoever with the local villagers.

The villagers then reported the illegal land acquisition to the Xintai Bureau of State Land and Resources (XBSLR). According to the investigation, the glass company did not adhere to any land requisition procedures so the XBSLR ordered the enterprise to cease construction. Oddly enough, the police came out in force to protect this company from being disturbed.

Later, the villagers tried various means to seek explanations for their lost land – they appealed to higher authorities for help, they launched a lawsuit and they complained vociferously to members of the press and media. But all their efforts seem to have been in vain; the fact is that their land currently remains surrounded by iron nets, sprouting wild weeds instead of crops.

From December 11 to 14, the China Youth Daily learned that Xintai, as a county-level city, already had a rather large provincial development zone with a planned area of about 24 square kilometers. This development zone has very wide roads and extensive factories. Nevertheless, many of its towns and townships have established factory buildings where no one seems to be working except the security guards in many cases. Some businesses even have their gates locked up tight.

In 2001 the Xintai government decided to construct 12 township development zones. Later the nation ruled that all township development zones must be abolished so the Xintai government cancelled these development zones in 2003.

Yet the construction is still going on. Several pillars for building new factory houses were erected inside the Liangda Industrial Park. Local farmers told China Youth Daily reporter that these lands were simply expropriated and they were compensated 800 yuan per mu (15 mus equal to 1 hectare) each year. When asked whether these lands were prime farmland or whether the expropriating party had followed state land acquisition procedures, the farmers seemed very puzzled. One remarked, "If the state wants to use these lands what can we ordinary people do about it?"   
  
Fast growing poplars as well as commercial buildings and residential housing have been constantly encroaching upon the farmland.

A Daxing villager told the reporter, "I haven't planted any wheat at all. Currently many people in our village have stopped planting grain crops. It is unwise to plant crops these days."

He further explained that he had earned more than 10,000 yuan from working in cities during the first half of the year.

Another villager standing by held a rather different opinion, "He has skills. But not everyone is like him. But actually villagers planting crops are far fewer than before."

Farmers have their reasons for not being willing to plant crops. The local villagers told the reporter that due to the damage inflicted by industrial construction as well as their advanced age, many ditches across the farmlands have been blocked or even broken.

The former Party secretary of Daxing village told the reporter that the ditches in their village remained in good working order while he served as the Party secretary. But now they haven't been used for several years. Without irrigation, one mu of land can only produce 75-150 kg of wheat, so planting crops is sure way to lose money.

According to him, about 1,000 villagers from 260 families reported they had farmlands of 628 mus in total last year. He predicted that this year there might be only 200 mus of total farmlands.

Xiao Wang, another villager from Baijia, said, "Many people in our village no longer plant grain crops. It is not worthwhile to plant these crops because they have to be fertilized and carefully monitored. But fast-growing poplars can mature in just 5 years. One square meter of poplars can earn 1,000 yuan. Plus people needn't tend them so they are free to go seeking other jobs after the initial planting.

Tree farming is quickly spreading across Xintai like an epidemic disease.

"With enough compensation, the farmers as well as the local governments are willing to rent their land to companies," said an anonymous local. "Farmers get little profits from their lands so they have lost the momentum to protect them."

Regulations on the Protection of Basic Farmland state: "People's governments at county level shall properly mark protected areas of farmland with appropriate protection signs and make related announcements."

The root problem is that protection of the basic farmland shall be coordinated between the Xintai's state land administration department and the agriculture administration department. The state land administration department is responsible for the quantity of the basic farmland and the agriculture administration department is responsible for the quality of the basic farmland.

But the fact is that there is a lack of coordination between these two departments. Neither of them can specify which areas are allocated as basic farmland areas and which are not.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, December 25, 2007)