Wukan party secretary Lin Zuluan , 68, has some regrets about stepping out of a long retirement to play a leading role in the political upheaval that gripped the east Guangdong fishing village last year.
"I've known since I was in my 20s that it's no good to be mixed with politics," he said. "It's a cruel game and I'm not interested in it. I only want to live an ordinary life, that's enough.
"Democracy is a luxury only the most affluent can afford. Without a solid economic foundation, it's useless to talk about anything, including democracy."
In September last year, thousands of villagers protested over illegal land grabs and a violent crackdown by the police, in a stand-off with the authorities that lasted three months.
Lin said the last thing the village needed was more unrest.
"We need to get our land back and attract foreign investment after that," he said.