The expulsions follow a heated stand-off over land grabs last year in the coastal village of Wukan which has emerged as a symbol of rural activism after authorities acted to defuse a flashpoint by allowing elections.
Xue Chang, communist party secretary in Wukan for more than four decades, and Chen Shunyi, former head of the village committee, were expelled, Xinhua said on Monday.
Xue was ordered to return illegal gains amounting to 189,200 yuan ($30,000), while Chen must give back more than 86,000 yuan, Xinhua said, quoting Zeng Qinrong, from the supervision department of southern Guangdong province.
Six other former village officials had also been punished and Xinhua said more than 1.06 million yuan had been seized.
It was not clear if Xue and Chen had been arrested.
In local elections in March, some 6,800 Wukan villagers scored a victory when they elected a respected village elder as their chief in a vote that drew international attention.
Some residents, however, are still frustrated about land grab issues.
“There have been some results, but thus far the main questions around illegally developed land have not been addressed,” deputy village chief Yang Semao said, referring to land under investigation.
