Lu Banglie

Who is Lu Banglie?

Lu Banglie is a pro-democracy activist in China. Lu is a farmer from Baoyuesi village in Hubei province. During a period of drought in 2000, Lu began campaigning for reductions in the taxes levied upon poor farmers. Since that time Lu has campaigned on issues of land seizures, corruption, and access to health care. In 2003, Lu was elected to a position in the Zhijiang City People's Congress. In 2004, he was elected to the Baoyuesi villager committee.

Lu's political activities have led to violence against himself, his family, and his property. This attracted global media attention in 2005 when Lu was severely beaten by hired thugs and the incident was witnessed by Guardian journalist Benjamin Joffe-Walt. The attack was allegedly intended to intimidate Lu and convince him to end his campaign against corrupt local politicians. Lu declared his intention to continue campaigning against corruption, saying, "I know there are tigers in the mountain, but I still go to the mountain." In October 2007 there were reports that Lu had been "disappeared", although these reports are difficult to substantiate.

Lu Banglie is reported to have been influenced by the thought of Mohandas Gandhi.