As seen on Aljazeera

China is no stranger to rural uprisings. Tens of thousands of protests erupt across the country each year” many over the illegal sale of communal village land by corrupt local officials. Few demonstrations lead to real change” but in 2011″ one community defied the odds.

Wukan” a village in China’s southern Guangdong province” captured the world’s attention when it achieved a rare victory.

After weeks of noisy protests” a crackdown by local authorities and the death of a leading activist” demonstrators succeeded in ousting the village committee” which had held power for more than four decades. Democratic elections were announced and Wukan made international headlines.

Wukan: After the Uprising tells the story of the village’s journey following its extraordinary victory. This four-part observational documentary series looks at the challenges of a community’s transition to democracy” through the eyes of former rebels now entrusted with the task of leading the village and regaining lost land.  

As the international press left Wukan after its historic vote” Al Jazeera stayed on to follow the newly elected village committee in action. Over the course of more than a year” filmmakers Lynn Lee and James Leong documented Wukan’s unique experience with democracy.

From the high of the elections” to the grind of everyday work” to the dilemmas of leadership” this is a rare and intimate portrait of rural China in the midst of remarkable change.

In China's village of Wukan” an unprecedented election is underway. Wukan hit international news headlines in late 2011 when villagers protested against illegal land grabs by corrupt local officials. The uprising ended with promises of a free and fair election plus the return of Wukan’s land.

Jiancheng” 27″ who was arrested during the uprising” now stands as a popular candidate for the election. Lin Zuluan” 68″ is another former rebel leader who stands as the primary candidate for village chief. Jiancheng’s younger brother” Jianxing” is the citizen journalist who kept the world informed of the uprising and is now covering the election as it unfolds.

We follow these characters through the days of this extraordinary vote to discover that nothing is straightforward when it comes to democracy. Even on voting day” Jiancheng has to deal with an unexpected event. From the vote to the first meeting of the newly elected village committee” watch the former rebel leaders become politicians as an extraordinary experiment with democracy in China begins.

Original Article