The Nanfang / Blog

Chinese-Speaking Laowai Embarrasses Newspaper by Debunking Propaganda Story

Posted: 12/23/2014 4:55 am

Let this be a lesson for any state news outlets that want to drum up favorable coverage by using innocent foreigners in propaganda stories: choose a foreigner that does not speak Chinese or have a huge vocabulary of Chinese curse words.

Chongqing Evening News, a major newspaper in the city, discovered this the hard way. On December 19, the paper published a photo essay called “The Story of the Reception Bench at the Police Station,” a piece that documented some of the drug addicts, drunks, derelicts and various other people who had to wait on the police station’s bench. One such person was a foreigner who had some housing issue. The photo essay showed a police officer, who had apparently passed English Level Eight in China, helping the foreigner in English on September 8.

In a detailed description, it said: “Police officer Wan Pitao is using English to help a foreign student in Shapingba District … Wan Pitao graduated from Sichuan Foreign Languages University and is the only police officer who passed the Level Eight English Test.”

Little did the newspaper know, but the foreigner in the piece reads and speaks Chinese and said the story was inaccurate. He took to Weibo to rebuff the story, claiming the police officer in the photo didn’t speak English, nor did he solve his problem, nor did he give his permission for his photo to be used.

The foreigner, known on Weibo as @boogjohn小觉, has been living in China for nine years. He said he used Chinese to communicate with the officer and wasn’t aware a photographer was there taking his picture. In addition, the officer was unable to help him solve his problem immediately, adding it dragged on into the next day.

The original post, which has been deleted from the user’s account but is still circulating as a screen grab, was filled with colloquial Chinese and local Chongqing curses. Some online user even said, “Teach me Chinese. I think you must have passed Level Eight Chinese,” reported Nandu.

The foreigner wrote again on December 21:

Stop, alright? I am just a happy person. How come a post like this goes viral on the Internet? I don’t have any intentions. But some Chinese media are quite stupid too by doing such useless things. Everyone loves to paste gold on one’s face, but I am just very straight forward.

Within just a few days, boogjohn小觉 got 67,000 followers.

So far, no word from the local police station.

 

Haohao

Former Shenzhen Police Chief, Jailed for Bribery, Bribes Her Way Out

Posted: 12/16/2014 5:00 pm

This is an insane story.

An Huijun, image courtesy of Shenzhen Daily

The ex-police chief of Shenzhen’s Luohu District has been jailed again after being released for medical treatment seven years ago, Shenzhen Daily reported yesterday. An Huijun was initially jailed in 2005 for accepting bribes from subordinates. She also had sexual relationships with many young male officers.

An’s sister was prosecuted this October in Xingtai, Hebei Province for offering bribes to make false medical documents for An while she was in jail. An, former director of Luohu District Pubic Security Bureau, was sentenced to 15 years for taking bribes in June 2005. Yet in January 2007, she was released for medical treatment after her sister falsified medical documents calling for her release.

The paper has more:

An, a native of Hebei, was appointed chief of Luohu Public Security Bureau in 1997. She took bribes of 1.64 million yuan (US$269,000), HK$530,000 (US$87,000) and US$1,000 in exchange for giving out promotions, contracts for public projects and deals for procurement of official vehicles. All 15 people who bribed her were her subordinates at the bureau.

According to her sentencing, An should be in jail until October 2019, but she was released in January 2007 from a Hebei prison after no more than three years.

According to the newspaper report, quoting some people who were familiar with the case, An’s sister, An Huilian, falsified medical records and gave 200,000 yuan in bribes to prison staff at the Hebei prison to buy her out.

Xingtai prosecutors started investigating An Huilian in November last year and prosecuted her for giving bribes. Sun Hai, ex-director of the Hebei Prison Administration Bureau, was also probed for taking bribes.

According to related regulations, An still needs to serve more than 12 years before she completes her term.

The thin blue line, eh?

Haohao

China’s Walter White Is Breaking Bad in Guangzhou

Posted: 11/20/2014 11:00 am

Liao’s meth lab in Guangzhou

Did anyone know that China had a real-life Walter White, the chemistry teacher-turned criminal mastermind from the hit-TV show Breaking Bad? Apparently, he wasn’t quite as successful as his Albuquerque-Doppleganger: he was arrested in Guangzhou on October 30, where he had been cooking meth and teaching young proteges in his shed, reports Nanfang Legal Daily.

Unlike Walter White, this 58 year-old man named Liao (his street name: “Professor Xu”) knew nothing about chemistry; still, he managed to learn how to make crystal meth, the report said.

Through unknown intermediaries, Liao was introduced to people interested in entering the drug trade. He then taught “students” how to cook meth in a one-week crash course, value-priced at RMB 400,000.

Liao’s romantic partner, surnamed Ma, sold the finished meth through their online store, which was disguised as a wholesale clothing shop, the report said.

The police raided about 50 kg of meth and meth-products, as well as 12 kg of raw materials from Liao’s workshop in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, the report said.

Reports of the drug bust came to light after Guangdong police announced on November 16 that it had destroyed more than 400 tons of crystal meth ingredients from Lufeng, an infamous drug hub in the province. It took 15 trucks several days to transport the seized drugs and drug products to the incineration site, Nandu reported.

Photos: Nanfang Legal Daily; SEQUART

 

Haohao

Dongguan’s Sex Trade Is Back

Posted: 10/24/2014 9:00 am

A woman walks past a banner that reads, “crack down on prostitution, gambling and drugs”.

Dongguan’s sex trade has proven to be more resilient than originally thought. The city, which has been targeted in a large-scale sweep over the past eight months, appears to have its mojo back.

Sixty people were arrested following raids on two of the city’s “entertainment venues” on Houjie Street: Junhao Hotel KTV and Dongcheng Shengshi Gechao KTV, both of which were offering sexual services. Their business licenses have already been suspended for six months.

The arrests come just two months after the city’s massage parlours, saunas, and hotels reopened for business after a massive clean-up, which followed CCTV’s exposé on the city’s rampant sex trade in mid-February. It alleged that the sex-trade contributed 10 percent to the city’s GDP.

Since being allowed to reopen, 2,684 entertainment operators, or 80 percent of the city’s entertainment businesses, have signed a pledge promising not to provide services related to gambling, drugs and prostitution.

In July, Guangdong province also introduced a series of detailed new regulations aimed at prohibiting the “vice trade”, including banning dim lights and private rooms. Evidently, the measures have proven to be of little use.

Photos: SCMP

 

Haohao

Guangzhou Has Deported 768 Foreigners So Far This Year

Posted: 09/8/2014 10:30 am

Life is getting tougher for foreigners in China, whether it’s something as simple as more restricted access to western TV shows online or tougher visa regulations.

We have been reporting for a while now that Guangzhou has been cracking down on foreigners in the city, specifically visitors from Africa. One report said half of the 200,000 African expats in Guangzhou are there illegally.

No matter where you’re from, make sure you have a valid visa and working permit, because Guangzhou isn’t messing around when it comes to deportations.

So far this year, the city announced it has either detained or deported 768 foreigners for things like expired passports, overstaying visas, illegal entry, and other criminal acts. The city remains one of the most popular destinations for visitors from other countries, with more than three million foreigners arriving or leaving the city this year.

The report says Guangzhou is currently home to 86,000 foreigners.

Haohao

Chinese Police Catch Taiwanese Fraud Suspect On The Run for 16 Years

Posted: 09/8/2014 10:00 am

Two Taiwanese suspects arrested by mainland police.

A Taiwan-born suspect who fled the island 16 years ago has been arrested by police in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China News reported on September 7.

The suspect, identified by his surname Guo, is accused of fraud involving RMB 36 million and has been on the Fujian Police Department’s wanted list since 1998, said the city’s Gongbei police at a press briefing on September 6.

Guo was also listed on China’s “Hunting Fox 2014”, a police operation that targets suspects of white collar crime on the run overseas. Guo was arrested on August 30 in one of the city’s residential areas. In addition, a Macau-born suspect hiding in China was also arrested on the same day in the city, the report said.

On the back of improved cross-strait relations, a 2009 extradition treaty signed between the Mainland and Taiwan has been extremely effective at helping coordinate police raids, extradite criminals, combat fraud, drug-smuggling and counterfeit currency, reported AFP. Since the signing of the agreement, nearly 6,000 suspects have been arrested, including the infamous Chang An-lo, also known as the “white tiger”, a gang leader who was extradited to Taiwan in 2013.

As a result of the treaty, Taiwan’s fraud cases have dropped 54.3 percent from 38,802 cases worth NT$10.27 billion in 2009 to 17,744 cases worth NT$3,77 billion last year, the news agency said.

photos: CRNTT.com

 

Haohao

Chinese Police Post Extraordinary List on How Not to Get Raped

Posted: 09/5/2014 9:18 am

wuhan iniversity policeAn increasing number of rapes, murders, and disappearances of female university students have been making headlines recently in China, stoking fears among students nationwide. Many people have asked how they can ensure their safety, so the Wuhan police have come up with a handy list.

The local Public Security Bureau for Wuhan University posted an extraordinary list of ways to avoid getting raped, which was then republished by Sina Guangdong. So, want to avoid having your dignity taken away? Here are nine suggestions from a Chinese police authority:

anti rape tips wuhan university policeDon’t take illegal cabs. (If you do,) get into the habit of memorizing the license plate. Sit in the back seat, and pretend to make a call.

Woman on cellphone in the back: Husband, come out and pick me up! The license plate of the car is xxx

anti rape tips wuhan university policeCarry a small spray bottle that contains Fengyoujing (a medicated balm lotion), and spray it into the eyes of an attacker.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeThrow your wallet somewhere far away instead of passing it over to the attacker.

Person throwing: Fly away!

anti rape tips wuhan university policeIf you want to take a picture of the bad man, you can pretend to be talking on the phone and surreptitiously record him by pointing the back of the phone towards him.

Be very careful using this one! If you are discovered doing this, you will die a grisly death.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeSometimes, teeth can be more effective than your own hands

Cannibal: If you’re not careful, you’ll have eaten the attacker.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeCut your fingernails into this shape. A blunt cut is fine; don’t make them too long or else they may break unexpectedly.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeUpon being raped*, you should defecate or urinate if you can, or stick your fingers down your throat to vomit.

An ordinary person will wilt at this sight.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeCarry a pen on your person (with the exception of a lead pencil). This is more convenient than a knife because you are able to pass through a security checkpoint.

anti rape tips wuhan university policeBe ugly; this is the safest way of all!

***

As it were, comments to this post have been rather uniform:

光海是对的:
[laughing.emo] No. 9 is the truth.

想着做饭冒冷汗:
The most harmonious one is the last one…

Z若风:
So violent and bloody! Seeing that pen stab into the brain, it looks so painful! [illness.emo]

学犀牛中文网:
The last one is the most practical!

* The word “rape” is censored in Chinese

Related:

Photos: Sina Guangdong, Wuhan University PSB home page

Haohao

China Using New High-Res Satellite To Zoom In On Crime

Posted: 08/27/2014 3:31 pm

gaofen one satellite images high resolutionChina’s first high-resolution imaging satellite, the Gaofen-1, has proven to be a boon to the government, and not just in terms of tracking the weather. The high-tech satellite has been busy helping various government departments solve problems ranging from agriculture to crime.

A number of images collected by Gaofen-1 were published earlier this week that are as impressive as they are beautifully detailed. But despite providing stunning images, the satellite has been instrumental in aiding China’s law enforcement.

For example, Gaofen-1 discovered several poppy fields in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei. It is also credited with discovering marijuana crops in Jilin and Inner Mongolia, the largest ever in China’s history. It has even discovered more than ten illegal border crossings in XInjiang and on the China-Korea border.

The versatile satellite has also proven beneficial in other areas. In February 2014, Gaofen-1 was used to find fissures in Xinjiang to better understand earthquakes. In July 2013, it was used to find earthquake damage in Zhangxian County, Gansu. As well, large-scale off-shore oil deposits were discovered by the imaging satellite near Fujian.

Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture used information from Gaofen-1 to investigate autumnal crops in five provinces. What’s more, Gaofen-1 is just the first of seven such high-resolution satellites to be in operational by the year 2020. The Gaofen-2 was just launched last week.

Here are a number of images from Gaofen-1 that have been color-corrected:gaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolutiongaofen one satellite images high resolution

Photos: The Verge

 

Haohao

Chinese Police Advise Female University Students: “Don’t Trust Anyone”

Posted: 08/25/2014 9:00 am

wolf sheeps clothing

Chinese women are being “advised” by the good men at the police department on how to keep themselves safe while away from home (while studying abroad or even just going out for a night at the neighbourhood pub). The sage advice includes “never get drunk in public” and “never trust anyone”, among other pearls of wisdom.

This 14-part list, which is circulating on Weibo, was apparently compiled by a retired police officer to best assist female Chinese university students:

The 14 Admonitions Bestowed by Your Civil Police “Papa”

tips for female students1. “There is no such thing as a free lunch” (the Chinese saying involves a pie falling from the sky). Remember, only rain and bird excrement fall from the sky. A charlatan will try to paint a pretty picture for you; but, what they are actually doing is digging a deep hole for you to fall in.

2. Never persist in trying to get everything for cheap. Remember the old saying, “Disaster looms for those that are spendthrifts”. When a stranger treats you to dinner or a drink, or gives you a present, simply refuse the offer. Be on guard for drugs put into food, or for gifts to contain illegal substances or concealed electronic (spying) devices.

3. Never believe anyone that calls themselves a police officer, official, bank personnel, social security personnel or public worker on your phone regarding matters of crime, winning a prize, or tax return. Never turn off your phone because of their threats. Upon encountering this kind of situation, you should first hang up, then immediately call your parents, and then call 110 (emergency services).

4. Never trust anyone calling themselves a director, a talent scout, a broker, a fuerdai (second-generation rich person), a second-generation official, etc.

5. Never get inebriated in a place outside of your home. This is an iron rule for women because you will risk losing your morals, your etiquette, your indiscretion, your heart and even your virginity (!)

6. Be vigilant of stranger’s cars or public vehicles without proper identification. Upon entering the vehicle, you will lose the opportunity to resist or escape the car once the car gains speed and the narrow passenger space is locked.

7. Be vigilant while outside the school campus, in public spaces, while striking up conversation, asking for directions, or money, and using your phone. When using public transportation, especially when travelling alone, do not provide your phone number, or accept invitations from a fellow traveler.

8. Do not believe that you will meet your Prince Charming. This is an iron rule for girls. Instead, the basis and guarantee of a good marriage come from having similar family backgrounds, education and life experiences as well as suitable careers and salary.

9. Before setting out on your journey, be sure to inform your parents of your destination, time of arrival, and any traveling companions. While traveling,
you should be sure to first always keep open communication, then, always safeguard your cash and bank cards; and lastly, be sure to stay in reputable accommodation, such as a national hotel chain.

10. Never reveal your wealth to outsiders. Remember the old saying regarding this. Don’t show off your wealth in a public place, otherwise two things will happen as a result: you’ll become the focus of interest for bad people, and secondly, you’ll lose respect from everyone else. At the same time, don’t be caught by the allure of other people showing off their wealth. First, people that are in fact rich won’t want other people to know about it; secondly, other people’s money don’t belong to you.

11. Always remember, only by remaining level-headed will you be able to save yourself. By remaining calm you will be able to think clearly and find the best way out of danger. When you are threatened by a bad person, the more they put on a threatening display, the more they are afraid inside. Should this happen, don’t be afraid, remain calm, try to appease the bad person, and look for an opportunity to escape.

12. Do not randomly add people to your QQ friend list. Do not believe people on the internet who say they are lovesick, ill, dejected, or alone. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by their proud and aloof nature, their search for freedom, or their stories of hardship. Whenever a person online asks for money or some kind of financial help, never give them money. Instead, put them on your blacklist.

13. No matter what happens, if you are encountering danger, getting into trouble, or you have lost contact with your family and friends, you should always remember to call 110 for help.

14. Be sure to remember step 13.

We look forward to seeing the police safety list for young Chinese men going away to university. What will keep them safe?

Photo: Bob Thune, Kanka News

Haohao

Knife-Wielding Expat Shot Dead By Police in Downtown Foshan [UPDATED]

Posted: 08/12/2014 7:54 pm

foreigner shot foshan A male foreigner is dead after being confronted and shot by police when reportedly wielding a knife and attacking people in downtown Foshan, Guangdong Province.

At around 6pm on August 10 at the entrance to Huangqi Yifu Plaza, a man described as “dark-skinned” was carrying a knife with a blade estimated at 20cm long that he used to chase and stab pedestrians, reports Foshan Daily.

Police from the Nanhai sub-station were dispatched to the scene where they were able to successfully corner the suspect at Huangqi Bridge. When trying to subdue the suspect, police were met with force as the suspect violently resisted arrest and used the knife to attack police.

Police are said to have fired two warning shots to no effect. Police then opened fire on the suspect, who was struck in his right and left legs. Subdued, the man was sent to hospital for medical treatment.

Later that night at 8pm, the man died in hospital. A urine analysis has showed that the suspect was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the assault.

No other casualties have been reported. The nationality of the man is unknown.foreigner shot foshan 01

***

UPDATED 11am, August 13: Pictures from the incident have been added.

There are no reported updates on the police investigation into the man’s death. Here is a link to a news clip of the incident.

Photo: Sina News Video

Haohao
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