The documentary Taishi Village tells the true story of the attempted recall of a village committee chief in Taishi village in South China in 2005. Several Chinese lawyers, reporters, professors and human rights activists risked their lives to conduct interviews and film the events in Taishi. This vivid account is truly a microcosm of China's countryside and accurately portrays contemporary Chinese society.

In 2005, the villagers of Taishi, Panyu District, Guangzhou City collected enough names to legally ask for the resignation of the Village Committee chief. However, the local government ignored their petition. On August 31, they began a hunger strike to peacefully compel the government to respect their legal right to democracy. In the Taishi model of protest citizens employed non-violent tactics focused on asserting their legal rights to self-governance, protection of their interests, and democracy. The prolonged recall process involved many dramatic incidents. The story illustrates the disparity between China's urban and rural areas, the wretched state of the countryside and the common practice of local authorities viciously violating citizens' interests and rights. It shows, however, that citizens are becoming more aware of their rights. It displays the courage of human rights defenders and presents the risks they face when working to protect the rights of the weak. Finally, the method authorities used to violently put an end to citizens' protests is evidence of the spread of the political-criminal nexus and the growing strength of the underworld in contemporary China.

To let the outside world know more about the truth of the Taishi Incident and the situation of China's rural election, the US-base CIC dubbed and duplicated the DVD with the permission of the original producers in China. You only need to pay $10 shipping fee for each disc, the free DVD will soon be delivered to you.

If you pay the shipping fee by cheque please make it payable to "China Information Center".

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