There have always been clashes between industrialization and growing demand for an environment of a better quality, with no exception for China and its breakneck economic growth. Every year China has to spend 8-12 percent of its GDP to patch up its environmental cost—land degradation, air and water pollution, desertification... What the government faces, is not only the huge sum of money it has to spend on restoring environmental damage, but also the social unrest launched by the awakening masses. In the presence of economic growth as the ultimate priority in Chinese society since Deng’s age, we can’t help but wonder in those confrontations who wins and who loses in the end. Because often times the ramification of environmental hazards could lag for years even generations to carry out, governmental decision-makers often neglect the environmental concerns in urban planning and development. Is the government willing to install wholesome environmental protection mechanism which many fear will be sacrificed on the altar of economic interests?

Xiamen Citizen's protest against a PX chemical plant is an intriguing case in which not only is it the first all-out environmental protest but also the voice of the plebs made a difference.