Recently, news of Hebei villagers freezing in their homes this winter has sparked heated discussion online. The villagers are part of a government scheme to convert the population to ‘clean’ energy sources, mainly via a coal-to-gas policy. But as subsidies taper and the cost of gas rises, poorer residents are opting out of the policy, either using traditional heating methods to stay warm or suffering the cold. In this episode we explore the origins of the coal-to-gas policy, the real-term effects it’s had on the population, and its relationship to the CCP’s wider goals of net zero and rural revitalisation. Ultimately we ask, how does this policy affect people on the ground? How has this increased the burden on local officials in impoverished areas? And how do people practice acts of resistance against government policy, regardless of potential punishment?
Chapters
(00:00) Intro: Villagers in Hebei are freezing in their homes
(06:49) *12 China Books Book Club*
(07:50) China’s climate policy and the politics of energy
(12:45) Coal-to-gas and rural resistance
(31:31) *BUY ME A COFFEE*
(35:15) Rural revitalisation and the limits of state coercion
Buy bookclub books here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/2026-sinobabble-book-club
Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sinobabblepod
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