The Guardian reported (November 30) that hundreds of residents in Wenlou, a township in Guangdong province about 60 miles from Hong Kong, protested on November 29 against plans for a large crematorium in an area that officials had previously said would become an “ecological park”. Footage recorded by residents appeared to show riot police firing teargas, throwing rocks and beating protesters. Videos showed residents throwing firecrackers at the police and tipping over a car. The Wenlou demonstrations come at a time when authorities are especially sensitive to the possibility

of protests spreading from nearby Hong Kong, where anti-government protests are now in their sixth month.

(Comment: While many Chinese in the mainland oppose those protests, the risk may be higher in Guangdong province where many have family or personal connections with Hong Kong.)