"The Sea Palace" Weeps — The Ultimate Revelation of the "Sea Palace" Case (Serial 13)

Part One: "Tuhao" Guo Moumou and His "Sea Palace"

[2] 12. The "Sea Palace" Is Crying

[3] A powerful government department issued three ultimatums in a single day, leaving no room for negotiation. In particular, the "Notice on Ordering the Restoration of the Sea Area to Its Original State" required the Sea Elite Entertainment Co., Ltd. to either tow the "Sea Palace" away from Shenzhen's waters or dismantle it within three days of receiving the notice, restoring the sea area to its original condition. Given the scale and structural complexity of the "Sea Palace," towing or dismantling it within "three days" was impossible. This shows that the government department, lacking experience in handling public opinion storms, had already disregarded the legality and reasonableness of its administrative enforcement actions.

[4] Thinking that the sea home he had built with his own hands would ultimately face destruction, Guo felt as if his heart were being cut and was overwhelmed with grief. Around March 4, 2011, Guo published "The Lament of the 'Sea Palace'" on his blog and forums to express his despair and grievance:

[5] My nickname is "Sea Floating Island," but the media gave me a noble name, "Sea Palace." In truth, I dare not compare myself to a palace; I am merely a village girl who looks a bit prettier.

[6] I am a deformed child, neither cat nor dog, perhaps a hybrid of the two. Before I was born, my parents were already worried about my household registration. They ran around everywhere, seeking a birth permit from the household registration department. The department had never seen such a non-cat, non-dog thing and didn't know what kind of permit to issue, so they just told my mother to give birth first and figure it out later.

When I was three years old, my parents were very anxious and went to the ID-issuing department again, asking for an ID card for me. The reply was that the law didn't stipulate it, and they didn't know what card to issue.

When I was five, a typhoon nearly took my life. To avoid the typhoon, I moved on my own, which caught the attention of a young woman. Upon learning about me, she discovered I was a wild child without an identity. Her well-intentioned report immediately drew attention from countless media outlets. Some said I was a bastard without status and should be executed; others said I was a rare creature and should be protected like giant pandas and put on display for the world. Some uncles and aunts stripped me naked and humiliated me in public, while many others stepped forward to protect me. I was terrified and ashamed. Then the law enforcement uncle arrived, dispersed the crowd, and brought in many experts to carefully examine my appearance. They concluded that I could still be a pet useful to society, available for people to view. The uncles consulted my grandparents, who then consulted my great-grandparents, and they all agreed to first issue me a temporary ID card, allowing me to live so that everyone could see me. I was overjoyed—after seven or eight years, I finally had a legal identity. To thank the uncles and aunts who supported my survival, I was willing to donate all the ticket revenue from people visiting me to the marine environmental protection department.

On the trial opening day, quite a few people came. The fishermen driving boats on the shore were all smiles, and ticket prices multiplied several times. But the good times didn't last long before a reporter uncle sneaked in. Seeing that I was still alive, he was very angry and questioned the law enforcement uncle: Why hadn't I been executed yet? He claimed that not executing me would not appease public outrage. The law enforcement uncle was in a difficult position. Under immense pressure, he took back the ID card he had issued to me and told me that, under pressure, I could choose to commit suicide. I was deeply grieved. Now I am eight years old and very much hope to live. Now I am facing execution again. Helplessly, I cry to the uncles and aunts, begging for a chance to live. If I can survive, I will donate all the money I earn to marine environmental protection. If I am forced to leave Shenzhen, I can only drift to the high seas and become a lonely ghost. If everyone neither lets me leave nor allows me to donate, but only wishes to see me struggle and die in pain, then I can only fulfill everyone's wish. The "Sea Palace" will surely become an "Underwater Dragon Palace." A hundred years from now, someone will dive into the sea to study my remains and recall that there was once such a beautiful village girl in Shenzhen. Dying amid everyone's admiration, I hope that by then, through the study of my remains, humanity can realize the beautiful wish of reclaiming land from the sea.

I am very attached to this world, but now I have become a wandering ghost.

Farewell, this world that has brought me both joy and sorrow.

On the other hand, the media and public opinion are so extreme, and government departments are so irresponsible and even irrational, that Guo Moumou feels an indescribable anger. He cannot sit back and wait for death. He must fight for a way out for the "masterpiece" he painstakingly created, and even more so, seek justice for his personal dignity. He wants to tell the public in an open and aboveboard manner—he, Guo Moumou, is upright and honest. In the process of building the "Sea Palace," there was no corruption or filth as rumored by outsiders. His dream can withstand public scrutiny and the test of the masses!

Guo immediately took action, instructing the Sea Elite Entertainment Co., Ltd. to apply to the Longgang District Oceanic Administration for an extension of the deadline, while also beginning to consider using administrative litigation to turn the tide. To this end, he mobilized the connections he had built up over the years, seeking out legal experts and renowned lawyers everywhere, trying to find a legal shortcut that could produce immediate results and avert the crisis. Naturally, he found nothing and was greatly disappointed.

On March 14, 2013, the Longgang District Oceanic Administration issued another "Notice on the Deadline for Returning Illegally Occupied Sea Areas and Restoring the Sea Area to Its Original State" (Figure 56), stipulating March 24 as the final deadline for compliance, stating, "If you fail to comply by the deadline, compulsory demolition will be carried out according to law, and the costs incurred shall be borne by your company."

On March 25, 2013, the Longgang District Oceanic Administration issued a "Notice on Compulsory Restoration of the Sea Area to Its Original State" (Figure 57), deciding to forcibly demolish the "Sea Palace" on March 31.

On March 28, 2013, the Longgang District Oceanic Administration issued a "Notice on Self-Handling of Demolished Building Items" (Figure 58).

These three "Notices," along with the three documents issued on March 1, were later described by lawyer Wang Tengfeng as the "Six Golden Edicts"!

　　Figure 56: A copy of the "Notice on the Deadline for Returning Illegally Occupied Sea Areas and Restoring the Sea Area to Its Original State" issued by the Longgang District Oceanic Administration on March 14, 2011.

Figure 57: Copy of the "Notice on Compulsory Restoration of the Sea Area to Its Original State" issued by the Longgang District Oceanic Administration on March 25, 2011.

Figure 58: Scan of the "Notice on Self-Handling of Demolished Building Items" issued by the Longgang District Oceanic Administration on March 28, 2011.

　　(待续)