China’s Notorious City Management Officers in Legal Limbo Despite Expanding Role
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has been charged with regulating the force that earlier was under the sole purview of local governments
Chengguan, Widely Despised Officers in China, Find Refuge and a Kind Ear
China’s first Psychological Crisis Center for Chengguan opened in Nanjing this week
It’s the Law: Chengguan in Guangzhou Now Have to be Nice
The new regulations state clearly that chengguan may not use profane or threatening language while enforcing their duties, may not damage private property, and may not use any form of violence or intimidation.
Media
10.11.13
How Social Media Complicates the Role of China’s Rights Lawyers
Xia Junfeng was once unknown, but his 2009 arrest for the murder of security officers—who, he alleged, had savagely beaten him—made him a symbolic figure in a national debate about human rights and reform in China. Yet many wonder whether this...
Her Husband’s Execution, Then a Bag of Ashes
In the four years since her husband was arrested, Ms. Zhang, 39, has been transformed from a shy, self-described politically naïve peasant into an eloquent voice for the downtrodden.
Media
09.26.13
Execution or Murder? Chinese Look for Justice in Street Vendor’s Death
This morning, a Chinese street vendor named Xia Junfeng was executed. Xia had been found guilty of murdering two urban enforcers, known colloquially as chengguan, in 2009. Xia’s lawyers argued he acted in self-defense,...
Why Do Chinese Netizens Think Beijing’s Airport Bomber Is A Hero?
Ji Zhongxing, who suffered police brutality when his illegal motorcycle taxi service was shut down, detonated a bomb in the Beijing International Airport, but the act seemed to be more of a demonstration than an act of violence....
Media
06.25.13
China’s “Urban Enforcers” Caught in a Vicious Cycle
Last week, another anecdote about chengguan— China’s urban enforcers whose main tasks include enforcing urban beautification ordinances and cracking down on unlicensed street vendors— caught the public’s attention. On June 15, a web user...