Petitioning Beijing: The High Tide of 2003-2006

China Quarterly, No. 210 (June 2012), pp. 313-34

22 Pages Posted: 28 Dec 2011 Last revised: 2 Oct 2013

See all articles by Lianjiang Li

Lianjiang Li

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Faculty of Social Science

Mingxing Liu

Peking University - School of Government

Kevin J. O'Brien

University of California, Berkeley - Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science

Date Written: October 11, 2010

Abstract

What precipitated the 2003-2006 “high tide” of petitioning Beijing and why did the tide wane? Interviews and archival sources suggest that a marked increase in petitioners coming to the Capital was at least in part a response to encouraging signals that emerged when Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao adopted a more populist leadership style. Because the presence of tens of thousands of petitioners helped expose policy failures of the previous leadership team, the Hu-Wen leadership appeared reasonably accommodating when petitioners arrived en masse in Beijing. Soon, however, the authorities shifted toward control and suppression, partly because frustrated petitioners employed disruptive tactics to draw attention from the Center. In response to pressure from higher-ups, local authorities, especially county leaders, turned to coercion to contain assertive petitioners and used bribery to coax officials in the State Bureau of Letters and Visits to delete petition registrations. The high tide receded in late 2006 and was largely over by 2008. This paper suggests that a high tide is more likely after a central leadership change, especially if a populist program strikes a chord with the population and elite turnover augments confidence in the Center and heightens expectations that it will be responsive to popular demands.

Keywords: petitioning, protest, repression, leadership change, social stability

Suggested Citation

Li, Lianjiang and Liu, Mingxing and O'Brien, Kevin J., Petitioning Beijing: The High Tide of 2003-2006 (October 11, 2010). China Quarterly, No. 210 (June 2012), pp. 313-34, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1977443

Lianjiang Li (Contact Author)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - Faculty of Social Science ( email )

Hong Kong

Mingxing Liu

Peking University - School of Government ( email )

No. 38 Xueyuan Road
Haidian District
Beijing, Beijing 100871
China

Kevin J. O'Brien

University of California, Berkeley - Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science ( email )

210 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

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