Art Activism
Drawing attention to social issues has been a staple of China’s art scene since the 1980s, propelling activist-artists like Ai Weiwei to global stardom, although it has become less prevalent in recent years as the Communist Party under President Xi Jinping has been increasingly intolerant of any form of dissent.
Residents of Xiaohaotu, where the average annual income is about 10,000 yuan ($1,497), have complained for years about local water pollution. They say the ground water, used to farm and drink, was polluted by the Sinopec gas project launched in 2005.
Huabei oil-and-gas company, the Sinopec subsidiary in charge of the project, declined to comment and referred Reuters to an online statement announcing that drilling had been partly suspended pending the outcome of the environmental investigation.
The Xiaohaotu environmental bureau found that the local water contained levels of heavy metals, such as iron and manganese, that exceeded national standards by as much as 4.2 times. Its investigation continues. (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Christian Shepherd; Editing by Neil Fullick)
