On November 7, 2011, China News Net reported that a group of professors from Changjiang University in the City of Wuhan visited local officials and got down on their knees begging the government to shut-down a nearby steel company that was a major source of pollution to the University’s environment. It was reported that, since 2009, the pollution has caused numerous diseases among the nearby population. Fighting against the company for 4 years achieved no results. A reporter took photographs of the professors on their knees. The pictures spread rapidly on the Internet and became a major focal point for public attention. The company then told the reporter that it had since ceased operations. The local government promised to conduct an investigation and handle the situation properly once the investigation was complete.
Source: China News Net, November 7, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/11-07/3443500.shtml