Chengguan Officer Working as Undercover Street Vendor Controversy

[PAULSTANL3Y]

Chengguan Working as Undercover Street Vendor Controversy

by Peter Barefoot on Wednesday, June 19, 2013

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From NetEase:
Wuhan Chengguan “Goes Undercover” as Street Vendor at Night Market

June 16, a netizen in Wuhan posted online: A chengguan officer of the Wuhan City Hongshan District City Management Bureau patrols the streets and raids street vendors as a law enforcer by day, and transforms into a part-time street vendor and sells tea mugs on the sidewalk by night. Wuhan Chengguan’s official microblog has responded, claiming that the person involved is an outstanding chengguan law enforcement officer; while figures from the Hongshan Chengguan claim: “Street vending” is an undercover job [mole], the objective of which is “transpositional thinking” [to think/see from the other side].

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After verification, the law enforcement officer in the pictures posted online by the netizen is surnamed Gui, is a regular employee of the Hongshan District ChengguanBureau Law Enforcement Brigade 7th Detachment, 33 years old, has a Bachelor Degree, joined the Hongshan Chengguan Bureau via examination in 2003 May, passed the judicial examination in 2007, and has an outstanding work performance. In the pictures posted online, there was also a woman, an she is surnamed Yang, is also an office worker of the Hongshan Chengguan Bureau. Image is of the picture taken by the netizen of this chengguan enforcing the law during the day.

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According to the relevant person in charge from the Hongshan District Chengguan Bureau, the two chengguan officers were indeed on an “undercover” mission. They were chosen by the bureau to pose as street vendors in the district during their off hours. While checking the law enforcing situations of the chengguan officers, [the bureau] also goes deeper into understanding street vendors’ actual conditions by using “transpositional thinking” [putting oneself in another's shoes], in order to upgrade the management level in the future. Image is of the picture taken by the netizen of the chengguan officer posing as a street vendor at night.

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This relevant person in charge claims that the undercover plan was supposed to be carried out for two months, but is accidentally compromised now only one month later. And the bureau has already debriefed the situation to the Municipal ChengguanCommittee. Image is of the picture taken by the netizen of the chengguan officer posing as a street vendor at night.

On the morning of June 17, the Wuhan City Hongshan District Chengguan Bureau held a press briefing where they made public the chengguan officer’s street peddling journal. In the diary, he stated his motive for street peddling, which was “transpositional thinking”, and to improve the management. The diary also recorded many of his experiences as a street peddler.

The journal kept by the chengguan officer while [posing undercover as a] street vendor.

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Many Chinese netizens appear unconvinced by the explanation of authorities that this city management officer is merely going undercover to experience what life is like for those they’re normally charged with enforcing the law on, instead preferring to believe or at least joke that the man was simply caught doing something he has to do to make ends meet, and that the authorities have fabricated the “undercover” cover story simply to explain away the superficial contradiction and irony.

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