The issues
On the mainland, more than half a million villages have been victimised by corrupt land deals caused by rapid urbanisation and non-transparent land laws. But their inhabitants' plight has been rarely heard by the world, or handled fairly by senior government officials.
Zhang Lifan, a historian formerly with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said 'the Wukan model' was a landmark for the resolution of the mainland's many land disputes.
He said Guangdong party chief Wang Yang's remarks - that the dispute would serve as a template to reform the governance of villages and townships at the grass-roots level - showed sound political judgment. 'This incident was a test for Wang, and he made a wise choice - his choice of non-confrontational, peaceful negotiations was a good move for his career.'
On microblogging sites, Wukan is commonly referred to as the 'W village' or Niaoqian village, which is written almost the same in Chinese characters, to avoid the censors.
As developments in Wukan created ripples of hope across the nation, its name has emerged as an example of civil rights. Dozens of internet users, university students and peasants, who have been the victims of similar land seizures, flocked to the village to show their support to villagers or to learn from their experiences.
Yet feelings in Wukan remain tense. One protest leader, Zhuang Liehong, who was released on December 23, told the widow of his fellow protest leader Xue Jinbo: 'He gave his life for Wukan. There is nothing we can do to ever repay him or to compensate his family's loss.'