So did Wang Shijun, a former village party secretary and son of farmers who still lived in the family cave.

ECONOMIST: In rural China, a private oil boom became a state-owned one

Yet Feng Xiaoyuan, Feng Bingxian and Wang Shijun, who had been on their way to becoming oil millionaires, continued to press their case.

ECONOMIST: In rural China, a private oil boom became a state-owned one