In 2012,several important media outlets focused on China's soil pollution problem and initiated a series of investigations. Yet even under such intensive scrutiny,information about China's soil pollution situation remains opaque. It is against such a backdrop that top level policy making on soil pollution attracts much attention. From the rumored Soil Pollution Control Law to the State Council's arrangements for soil pollution remediation,everything is indicating that the policy process is accelerating. There is also a discernible tension among competing philosophies underlying different policy options. In this regard,efforts made by China's nascent civil society on this issue provides typical cases as references for policy makers. <<