On Nov 13, 47-year-old Tang Fuzhen shocked the nation by setting herself ablaze in an act of protest against the demolition of her former husband's garment processing unit in Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province.

Days later, the severely burned Tang succumbed to her injuries at a city hospital.

The act, while not an isolated instance of such an extreme form of protest against "forced demolitions", nevertheless left the nation in a daze.