Hopes for democracy crushed in the Chinese rebel village of Wukan

Villager Wei Yonghan makes a speech before assembled Wukan villagers, who are demanding justice for a series of land grabs and for the release of their elected village chief Lin Zuluan, who was arrested by authorities, in the southern province of Guangdong, China June 20, 2016. REUTERS/James Pomfret

WUKAN, China (Reuters) - Hopes for democracy in the Chinese village of Wukan, where an uprising against corruption five years ago gained global notice and led to direct village-wide elections, have all but evaporated, with protest leaders either in detention, in exile, facing arrest or quitting their posts.

Villagers have been marching in protest every day since the middle of June in a fresh flare-up of unrest, but the so-called "Wukan model", with authorities seemingly taking a more tolerant approach towards unrest by kicking out corrupt officials and allowing a free vote, appears to have been a one-off.