Xue Jinbo, the protest leader whose death in police custody last year played a role in triggering one of the most successful grass-roots protest movements on the mainland, has finally been laid to rest, albeit temporarily.
Though the cause of his death is still disputed by Wukan villagers in Guangdong, Xue's family agreed to drop the issue in exchange for the release of his body for burial.
Villager Hong Ruiqing said she and about 80 others left Wukan at around 8am yesterday and went to Shanwei city to retrieve Xue's body, which was buried in the afternoon. Under the agreement with authorities no more than 100 people were allowed to travel and no photography was allowed.
'He was frozen like a block of ice for over three months. His face was blackened, even after the make-up,' Hong said. 'Everyone was so sad to see this, especially his bereaved daughters and wife... They cried until they vomited and couldn't eat or even stand up straight.'
The 43-year-old Xue was taken away by authorities in December, during one of the most intense periods of protests over illegal land grabs by government officials in Wukan. His death triggered a massive outpouring of support for the villagers' cause, emboldening them in a defiant stand-off with authorities. Xue was referred to by villagers and many mainland internet users as a hero for his part in Wukan's struggle for justice and democratic local elections.
Another Wukan protest leader, Zhuang Liehong - who was recently elected one of the villagers' representatives - said Xue was put in a coffin and carried to another funeral home in Lufeng , where a wake was held, before being carried to a graveyard for a temporary burial.