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[Roger]

Got off the bus as usual. It is a small town where virtually every sparrow knows me, so I usually walk along back alleys to avoid the "helloes!"
A motorcycle passed me by, two boys with green helmets. Uniform? Don't know. These have changed over the past few weeks and I have not got used to the new ones yet.
The road is clear, I walk, walk, walk...
The motorcycle reappears. Two wide-eyed Chinese males stare at me, then disappear.
I walk, walk, walk...
Then, I see the same chaps again. Same scene - wide eyes, no visible body language in my direction, and no word either.
I cross the road.
The motorcycle makes an U-turn and comes back to where I am.
The backseat rider gets off, walks towards me. Yes, it is a cop!
"Ni zai zheli gao shema?"
A good question, one that I do not really want to answer. This is not a restricted zone.
I pretend to be dumb. Incommunicado.
"Can you speak Mandarin?"
I laugh like a foreign fool. He smiles.
"Mei shi!" and he waves me go!

I am sure they are going to waylay me again. Next time, I will have my residence permit and FE permit on me!
That way, it is going to be a trifle safer!
(Strange, this has happened to me already one year ago, so I know the circumstances!). Now if one of them understands the logic of the Chinese laws even my FE permit will not save me from falling into hot water!

[noodles]

Please excuse my ignorance, but why would you be in trouble?

[Minhang Oz]

My brother in law is a plain clothes cop. Has a gun strapped to his ankle except when showering or sleeping, when its under his pillow. Gangs and shootouts are common. Eats with silver chopsticks, even at home.
Says they don't torture people unless they refuse to confess. Cattle prods are a prefered device, applied guess where.
Says he wants to arrest more foreigners so he can practice his English.
Drove me home one night after some baijiu up a one way street-wrong way-, blue light flashing, and John Lennon's "Imagine" playing.
And he's a nice guy. I trust him. He's family.

ps Roger, these guys just wanted some free English lessons, or maybe one has an unmarried cousin in need of a fan piao.

[Roger]

Alright, I seem to have you confused, guys! No, they did not stop me to practise English - all the sounds were in Mandarin!
They wanted to check on my ID. The same thing happened one yar ago, in a different section of this town. I did not have any documents on me, but they persevered, asking passers-by (!), and, yes, one of those who happened to witness the scene told the cops he knew me from that TV programme! And I was let go!
The upshot is that if you have been loaned to a school you are not above board. You are, strictly according to the letter of the book, working illegally.
If you speak Chinese you might be making your situation worse! (You could reasonably be expected to read the relevant laws by yourself).

[chinafriendhere]

I have a good contact at the Central PSB. He told me that only the Central PSB and the Foreign Affairs Bureau Officers have the right to ask for your Passport and Residence book. I am not sure if it is true, but I had a local cop ask for my passport last year and told him that he had no right to ask for it. He wasn't too happy but backed down.

As for local cops, they seem to be the most likely to be connected with the darker elements in society. There are certain local area chiefs that have maintained their position for ages. They have never been promoted past the rank of local area chief for a reason, it is too lucrative of a job. At the local level it is often a good ole boys club, and they are not to be played with lightly.

[Roger]

The latest news is that the central government has curtailed the police' powers in handling undocumented strays.
Due to the widely-publicised beating to death of a migrant son in Guangzhou at the end of May, the local police were severley reprimanded. They had handed a young man over to a detention centre for migrants; he was later transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he was beaten to death at the order of a nurse. Two of his killers got the death penalty.
As a consequence of this mishandling of a relatively simple case by the police, they no longer have the right to stop individuals for ID controls!

[Wolf]

[ESL Guru]

May I interject my humble understanding on this serious issue?

The law appears in rather simple English translation so I think I got it right. Foreigners are required to posess their passport, expert's certificate and temporary residence card at all times and to present them for inspection at the request of any government official. If married, you must also have your marriage book whenever you are with your wife outside your primary residence.

A friend of mine was on vacation with his Chinese wife. They checked into a hotel. In the middle of the night, about 11:30 p.m., there was a knock on the door. They did not have their marriage book. They were not allowed to stay in the hotel but were given a hard seat in a detention facility until their marriage could be proven.

It is a lot of paper to carry but maybe better safe than sorry.

Sort of like your American Express card, never leave home without it!

[chinafriendhere]

ESL GURU is correct on his first point that by law a foreign residen