A Chinese farmer spent 16 years learning law on his own so that he could sue a chemical corporation for allegedly damaging his property.

Wang Enlin, who had only three years of schooling, has won the first instance in a high-profile case against state-owned Qihua Group, according to the People’s Daily Online.

Although Qihua Group, which has assets worth over two billion yuan (£233 million), has appealed the verdict, the old man stated that he is committed to pursuing justice for himself and his neighbors, who are unable to cultivate good crops on their polluted property.

Mr. Wang, who is in his 60s, resides in Yushutun hamlet on the fringes of Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, according to People’s Daily Online, which quoted China Youth Daily.

The man declared that he would never forget the year 2001, when the Qihua Group flooded his farm with hazardous garbage.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Wang was playing cards and preparing dumplings with his neighbors. They then noticed that wastewater from the adjacent Qihua plant had swamped the house they were in.

In addition, the wastewater swamped some of the village’s agriculture.

According to the study, a government document from 2001 said that the damaged farmland ‘cannot be exploited for a long time’ owing to pollution.

Qihua allegedly continued to dump hazardous garbage into the community, whose population relies on agriculture for sustenance, between 2001 and 2016.

According to the study, the firm manufactured polyvinyl chloride and disposed of 15,000 to 20,000 tons of chemical waste annually.

Qihua has also apparently left a 71-acre wasteland of calcium carbide leftovers and a 478-acre pond of liquid waste.

Mr. Wang complained about Qihua’s pollution in his hamlet to Qiqihar’s Land Resources Bureau in 2001.

He claimed that during his interactions with local officials, they frequently asked him to provide proof of the poisoning of the village’s property.

Mr. Wang told a reporter, “I knew I was right, but I didn’t know what law the other party had broken or if there was any evidence.” He interviewed at his little house, which he rented for 50 yuan (£5.8) per month from the local authorities.

As a result, Mr. Wang made the decision to study law on his own, which he would do for the following 16 years.

The farmer, who had dropped out of elementary school in the third grade, began reading a dozen legal books with the assistance of a dictionary.

According to the man, he didn’t have enough money to buy the books at the time, so he spent his days reading them at the local bookstore and transcribing the important material by hand. He would offer the shopkeeper sacks of free maize in exchange for allowing him to stay there.

In addition, he utilized his legal skills to assist his neighbors in gathering evidence. Mr. Wang said that the Qihua Group had also poisoned their crops.

In 2007, a Chinese law firm specializing in pollution-related disputes began offering free legal counsel to Mr. Wang and his neighbors. In addition, they committed to assist the locals in filing a court suit.

However, due to various issues, the court finally began investigating Mr. Wang and his neighbors’ case in 2015, eight years after the first petition, according to People’s Daily Online.

Mr. Wang and his neighbors appear to have won the first instance based on the evidence he accumulated over the course of sixteen years.

The Angangxi District Court of Qiqihar has ordered the families of Yushutun hamlet to receive financial compensation from Qihua Group in the amount of 820,000 yuan (£96000). The report did not reveal the date of the initial incident.

Qihua Group filed an appeal against the court’s judgment. The Angangxi District Court is handling the matter as of this writing.

A resolute Mr. Wang assured the reporter, ‘We will undoubtedly win. Even if we lose, we will continue to fight.