Local officials heralded it as a much-needed economic revitalization opportunity for the city, especially after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake devastated the region, killing nearly 6,000 in the city and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.
But concerned Shifang citizens, who were reportedly caught by surprise by the announcement, began spreading awareness of the plant, distributing pamphlets across the city:
Citizens of Shifang, please save our hometown!! The city of Shifang is already a ‘cancer village,’ and now they are going to build that heavy metal industrial molybdenum-copper alloy plant. We are strongly opposed to it. This is our home. Protecting it is our responsibility. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment!! (Translation from Ministry of Tofu)
Thousands took to the streets two days later, gathering in the public square and in front of government buildings throughout Sunday evening to express their concern over the chemicals that would be produced by the plant.
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On Tuesday evening, the local government conceded by posting a message saying that the refinery project would be shelved. At 11 p.m. that night, the majority of arrested protesters were released, and on Wednesday, explicit criticism of the local officials and support for the protesters came in the form of an editorial in the official state-run English newspaper, The Global Times:
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