In China's central Henan province, the Communist party has been digging up millions of graves to turn the graveyards into farmland. So far two million graves have been destroyed in the city of Zhoukou alone.
There has been mass protest, in both traditional and non-traditional venues: Thousands, for example, have signed an online petition written by a group of concerned scholars. Over the past month, locals have restored about one million graves in response.
One group, however, protested in a surprising way: with a zombie themed Gangnam Style video.
The original Gangnam Style video is exceedingly goofy. The subject matter here is anything but. Here's how the lyrics translate:
For thousands of year, we have visited our ancestors' graves. This is our tradition.
You wipe your ass, dig up our ancestors' graves, and they are homeless.
They are moved to the public cemetery.
Then you cover the land with cement and take away the land forever.
Dig up the graves for agriculture, not a soul will believe this.
Fu Xi [the creator of humankind in Chinese legend] is stunned.
You use shovels to dig, move in the bulldozers, Fu Xi is stunned.
Dig up your own grave with 100 yuan reward, or else others will dig it up for you.
Fu Xi is stunned.
Talk about the future and science, act like a tyrant.
Fu Xi is stunned.
Fu Xi is stunned.
I am not Laozi. I am not Nuwa. I don't have palace, I have country.
Too far from equality, happiness is fake.
Destroying the graves is destroying our hearts.
Who would dig up a grave for greed?
I am scared of dig-grave style.
op-op-op-op dig-grave style. op-op-op-op dig-grave style.
Live in snail house when we are alive.
I am scared of dig-grave style.
Homeless when we die.
I am scared of dig-grave style.
Their graves are even bigger than Fu Xi's tomb and Ming Dynasty tombs.
Their ancestors and our ancestors were the same kind. When they are alive, we can't give them a good life.
When they die, we can't pay our piety. We can't face our parents.
My heart is broken and tears keep falling down.
Fu Xi is stunned.
I am official, I don't have green card, I have no rights, I have a country.
So many souls in the public graveyard, so little space. Lost our land forever.
Who became the fool?
Creating trouble out of nothing, that's the way to survive.
I am scared of dig-grave style.
op-op-op-op dig-grave style. op-op-op-op dig-grave style.
Live in snail house when we are alive.
I am scared of dig-grave style.
Homeless when we die. I am scared of dig-grave style.