By the end of this Spring Festival, more than half of those flattened tombs were restored by local villagers.

 

　　Some local officials threaten to initiate a second "tomb-flattening movement" to re-flatten the restored tombs.

 

　　But according to a revised law, it is now illegal to force anyone to flatten the tombs of their relatives.

 

　　Yun Yang says on blog.sina.com,

 

　　Where people cannot vote by their hands, they vote by their deeds. People in Zhoukou have clearly expressed their points of view by restoring their relatives' tombs overnight. In a country where the government is so powerful, of course local officials have the power to issue an administrative order and force their people to follow it. But people did so against their will, which results in the overnight restoration of tombs.

 

　　Hong Qiaojun says on ycwb.com,

 

　　As a government claiming itself to "serve the people", the Zhoukou government should learn to respect the will of their people. The strong resistance encountered by government officials in the process of the "tomb-flattening movement" last year as well as the quick restoration of tombs at the beginning of this year have clearly shown the will of the people. The local government should respect them.

 

　　Wang Chuantao says on blog.ifeng.com,

 

　　Paying respect to the dead is a Chinese tradition lasting for thousands of years. I believe it's also a common point for all human races. How can the local government in Zhoukou be so cruel as to deprive people's rights to pay their respect to the dead? That's their only connection to their dead relatives. It's simply inhumane to make such a decision!

 

　　Hong Qiaojun writes on bjnews.com,

 

　　The local government in Zhoukou claims itself to flatten villagers' family tombs for more "arable land". But as a matter of fact, everyone knows it clearly that the government just wants more land from farmers for the development of real estate. What it actually did is to win itself more benefits by scarifying farmers' interests. No wonder it encountered fierce protests from local farmers.

 

　　Xi Yu Guo Ke says on weibo.com,

 

　　Even if the Zhoukou government launched such a "tomb-flattening movement" out of good will, it should have carried it out in a milder way, easier to be accepted by local people. Forcible enforcement of any policy will only result in the rebound of people's will. The Zhoukou government should really draw a lesson from the mass restoration of tombs this time. It should also respect the new law and not interfere into local tomb restoration any more.