Xi'an Lantian Corruption

This site tells the story of what happened to a small group of entrepreneurs -- Chinese, Japanese and American -- as we attempted to bring clean water to the people of Xi'an

It's a story of how, after ten years, a simple idea -- bring clean, healthy water to one of China's largest cities -- has been brought to the edge of collapse by corruption in China. 

It is a cautionary tale of the challenges China faces in the years ahead, as it is caught between the twin pressures of environmental degradation and growing dangers of political corruption.

It's a story that gives you a rare glimpse inside Chinese corruption by local public officials.

It's a small project with a big message. 

The map of Corruption in Lantian

You can download a full size copy of the map from the link at the bottom of the page.

An Urgent Appeal to the Mayor of Xi'an from Ed Morrison on Vimeo.

We started out with a simple idea. Address chronic need for clean water in China by drilling a well with a chance to hit high quality mineral water. The hydrologists were right. 700 feet below the surface, we struck an underground river that now produces the highest quality mineral water in the province, according to the government.

Our water includes trace elements and minerals often missing from a Chinese diet. These deficiencies can give rise to auto-immune disorders and other health problems. Equally important, the water provides an alternative to widely available distilled water which effectively dilutes the same elements and minerals from the body.

Over the past 10 years, we have confronted a growing problem of official corruption in Lantian County, where our factory is located. Lantian sits on a main highway about 50 km southeast of the city center of Xi'an.

This video shows how our factory has been choked off by the corrupt public officials and their gangster allies. 

Lantian Corruption: Intimidation from Ed Morrison on Vimeo.

This web site tells our story.

• Take a tour of our factory
• Learn more about our project
• Learn more about the corrupt public officials and their criminal network

The Backstory: Our project

Ten years ago,  the government of Lantian County asked our help to develop their water resources. We assembled a team of professionals, arranged financing of over half a million dollars, and developed a sophisticated logistics system that served over 6,500 customers. Then, unknown to us, a criminal conspiracy of public officials took hold of our project.  Our policy of never paying bribes only increased the pressure. Read more. 

Confronting Lantian's criminal network

A criminal network operates through intimidation. It must have enforcers. The Lantian police are active participants in the conspiracy. It stands to reason.

Sun Jun Hong, a former deputy police chief, stands in the middle of the conspiracy, along with a former Lantian county judge.  

Our courageous factory manager, Xiao Dei, has withstood months of threats and physical intimidation.  We'll take you inside on how they operate. Read more.

View the network. Click on the image. 

China's Challenge: Confronting corrupt local officials

China's leaders devoted enormous resources to maintaining stability within the country. They'll rely on local public officials to manage conflict at the lowest levels. There's only one problem. China has no effective way to manage the spreading corruption among local officials. Read more.

China's Water Crisis

China's water crisis is getting worse. Lantian County has access to an enormous water resources, but they will never be responsibly developed in an environment in which public officials put their interests above the interest of responsible water development.  Read more.

Our strategy: Leverage the Internet

It is not easy to be a small business facing a criminal conspiracy protected by public officials.  Our refusal to pay bribes has cost us dearly. But in the end, we have a powerful weapon: the Internet. we believe China's criminal conspiracies cannot withstand the power of the Internet. The Internet -- publicizing the corruption of local officials in Lantian -- is our last hope for saving this project. Read more.

A summary: What's at stake

Here's a video in which I summarize the situation as I flew back to the U.S. in early August. 

Xi'an Lantian Corruption: What's at Stake from Ed Morrison on Vimeo.