It has been well documented by researchers that in China’s continual quest for modernisation and urbanisation, many urban and rural residents became displaced and portrayed as victims. A more important question however needs to be explored: do evicted residents learn from others to develop strategies to protect themselves from becoming victims? Through in-depth interviews, primary data collection, documentary research, this study has confirmed that for some evicted residents in Southern China’s urban fringes, when their land was appropriated by local government and developers and they were offered resettlement elsewhere, they did not behave passively to accept the terms of compensation dictated. Instead, they actively learnt from other dwellers who were evicted earlier to become well-organised, resourceful, and sophisticated negotiators in bargaining for their compensation. The group of rural residents proved that they could do better than the evicted urban residents, especially in terms of compensation-negotiation.

研究員在研究中國現代化及城鎮化過程中發現，大批城市和農村居民流離失所，並被描繪成受害者。然而，一個更重要的問題有待澄清：被拆遷戶是否已經從頻繁發生的拆遷安置事件中汲取了經驗， 從而制定出行之有效的自我保護策略？ 本研究通過深度訪談、一手資料搜集和文獻研究的方法對中國南方某地市級內陸城市的征地拆遷安置項目進行了調查研究。研究發現部分城市和農村居民並未消極應對征地拆遷安置，被迫接受由當地政府及發展商的既定賠償和安排。相反，他們在與拆遷者談判過程中表現具組織、有力而且世故的談判策略，同時能夠充分運用手中掌握的談判籌碼索償。相比城市居民，農村居民尤其是村組干部在與被拆遷人的談判中更加游刃有余，可能爭取更多。

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