Villagers blamed the factory for its waste emissions that posed harm to people, animals, plants and crops (ibid). According to a test report by local municipal environmental authority in 2013, the fluorides, sulfur dioxide and dust emitted from the plant all exceed the national limits [3]. Many residents usually reported nausea and choke due to the poisonous gas from the factory (ibid). What’s worse, 22 residents have been diagnosed with cancer and 18 of them have already died by 2014 [1]. Local livestock industry also suffered severely as hundreds of chickens died off and piglets were born deformed [3]. The fluorides and sulfur dioxide hurt the plants directly, leaves and flowers withering away and trees failing to bear fruits [1]. The rice yield has decreased for years, and with their products labeled as poisonous, the local rice growers faced increasing difficulty in finding purchasers [3].

Since 2010, a group of villagers began to protest at the gate of Dasheng Chemical on a weekly basis [3]. Among the protesters were Wei Kaizu and Yu Dinghai, who resided in close proximity to Dasheng Chemical and suffered most economic loss from the pollution [1]. Together with other villagers, they pressurized the local authority to take action (ibid). In response, the local government coordinated an agreement in 2011 between Dasheng and the villagers that the factory paid 1.24 million yuan (RMB, about 180,544 euros) to Wei and 350,000 yuan (RMB, about 50,960 euros) to Yu as the compensation for their loss (ibid). Besides, the company agreed to annually pay 20,000 yuan (RMB, about 2912 euros) to 17 households due to their losses of crops, livestock and poultry (ibid). However, the company broke its agreement in 2012 (ibid). Driven by strong dissatisfaction at the unfulfilled agreement, the outraged villagers made several trips to Wuhan and Beijing to petition to the provincial and central authorities [4].

With more farmers rising to protest and demanding for compensation, the local government police arrested Wei and Yu for “extorting” Dasheng Chemical respectively in September and October 2012 (ibid). People considered that the local government targeted the two men as a warning to the other villagers who were protesting [3]. The event attracted wide public attention including lawyers, environmental activists, NGOs and journalists [1]. Led by Zeng Xiangbin, a Wuhan-based environmental lawyer, a group of public-interest lawyers was formed in Wuhan City to help the villagers with the litigation (ibid). The cases went to the court in April 2013 but no judgment decision was made to date (ibid). In August 2013, after 11 months in prison, Wei and Yu were released in the name of bail pending a trial though the prosecutor had withdrawn the accusations [4].