Chinese protesters take corruption battle into their own hands

(CBS News) ZHENGZHOU, China -- At the crowded bus station in Zhengzhou, China, 15 protesters are determined to confront the station's manager, a man named Fan Jianhui, who also happens to be the local Communist Party boss.

They told us they have evidence he's skimmed $7 million in profit from a state-owned bus operation.

Fan Jianquiand

/ CBS News

The leader of the protest is Fan Jianquiand.

"He's illegally taken over the station," he said. "And it's the main profit center for the village. He's taken all of the money and won't give up a penny."

Just minutes after our interview, the manager's hired thug -- his enforcer -- showed up, ready to fight.

This has happened before, and the enforcer usually wins, but not this time. The protesters fight back in a fury, kicking the enforcer after he goes down.

"Go ahead," the enforcer taunts. "Beat me some more."

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He's about to get his wish.

The fight in Zhengzhou shows how corruption is damaging the Communist Party throughout China. The same party that produced China's economic miracle is also producing officials -- at every level -- who take office and enrich themselves.

Watch: Wyatt Andrews goes inside China's National People's Congress, below.

Almost every week there are new protests against party corruption. Last month, 2,000 demonstrators -- on their knees -- claimed that local officials in Heibi Province, west of Beijing, had sold off public land and kept the money.

The protesters in Zhengzhou say they want the bus profits returned, and that the money should have been spent on housing and the elderly. Instead, they said, most of the funds went to the party boss, with some of it used to bribe local prosecutors.

Asked why the party boss, Fan Jianhui, is not being investigated, the protest leader says, "It's hard to say. But we've heard that officials from higher up have ordered the case to be held back."

Fan Jianhui has told the protesters he has a private contract to operate the station, but they showed us documents they claim proves the contract is fake. We made several attempts to contact Fan, but he never responded.

Out in the parking lot, the protesters rose up again and the enforcer was beaten and defeated, exactly what party leaders in Beijing are afraid might one day happen to them.

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[raymailhot]

OK Detroiters just staring you in the face, here is an example of citizens taking control of their town. The political corruption is out of hand and it was the citizens not the government that stood up! It isn't just Detroit, they are the best and nearest example of a political machine sucking the life blood out of a city.

[hypnotoad72]

"Communist"? Capitalist sympathizers claim China has been converting from/is no longer/etc communist, "1 billion consumers", etc, etc...

[raymailhot]

More akin to fascism, or national socialists, but the people are taking action against government corruption.

[judymar14]

Mao zedong all over, the government gets richer, the people get poorer. Only this time the people can protest without being shot on sight, hopefully it will stay the same - do to the media - and people don't start disapearing in the middle of night.

[hypnotoad72]

I'll let you know. :-p

[jefforsythe]

The World has been grossly misinformed by Western Governments and media because of corporate greed. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never been good to its people or to the World in general, it is a gangster regime that has murdered 100 million of its people since 1949 and is now attempting the genocide of tens of millions of innocent Falun Gong practitioners by the use of torture, slavery, organ harvesting and murder. It has brainwashed its people into becoming a bunch of non-caring selfish Atheists who would turn their own mothers in if their mothers opposed the Party. Western corporate greed has kept good people from all over the Free World from learning the truth about the heinous CCP. This is just my understanding, thank you for your consideration.

[matt6052]

Income inequality in the United States is only slightly less than it is in China. China has a GINI coefficient in the high 40's, while America's is in the mid-40s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

[hypnotoad72]

And yet it costs too much to hire here... *rolleyes*

[raymailhot]

Matt? Really? You live better than any of the previous royalty of any continent. You can, if you wish, eat the best fruits, vegetables meat and sweets never heard of before. You can travel as much around this country or world as anyone in history could, except much faster. All you have to do is work for it! You are not poor, so please stop the whining!

[MIO42]

Good thing everyone in the US is honest and law abiding
We sure wouldn't want that happening here

[JamesSao]

Commies around the world steal from their own people with impunity. They're all protected by their party chiefs. You spoiled brats in America have no clue about how good you have it compared to the poor in these countries.

[Solarrays247]

Take off your blinders! The "commies" have nothing over the corporate controlled U.S. government. Citizens United must be overturned, or we'll continue in our fall into third world status!

[pugster]

What a fantastic propaganda piece by CBS. If this party boss want to suppress the protest, wouldn't he send more than 1 'goon' to suppress it? Give me a break.

[andthetruthis]

Bravo Chinese People!!

Don't let arrogant snakes rip you off,and live like pigs (like Americans do).

Fight them,and don't ever give up.

[mgunn89512]

We do need to do it too. But our gov't is too strong, with an orchestrated campaign to discredit and falsify via rumors and media and to use force and shut off cellphone towers when necessary, our movement was called "Occupy Wallstreet" etc.

[Krowster]

What we have is the power to vote and picket, which we have blatantly ignored. It doesn't take a genius to see the corruption in our government or businesses. However, it also doesn't take a genius to see so many people barely moving off their *****.

[hypnotoad72]

Krowster - I'm doing what's been said to compete. Right down to college.

If others see a problem, they should get off their ***es.