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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 resident must carry their passport, resident card (the green book), and foreign affairs book (the red book) at all times. I believe ESL GURU is wrong on the second point that a foreigner must present their documents on inspection at the request of any government official. What you should have said is that a foreigner must present their documents on inspection at the request of a qualified government official. A post office worker, a human resource officer and a local cop are not qualified government officials thus legally a foreigner need not present the documents unless they have done something illegal. A foreign affairs officer or central public security officer is a qualified government official and thus can request a foreigner to present their documents on request even just for inspection.

But once again, if a local cop asks you for the documents it would be advisable to show him your documents. Local cops are not people to mess with lightly.

[ESL Guru]

Chinafriendhere -

First may I address you as CFH, it is so much easier to type.

Second, I stand corrected. You are right. I was not thinking about postal workers or any other state owned business employee.

Sorry for the oversight. I do wear bifocals!

As to local cops, when they pull me over while riding my hog, I show them everything including my work unit ID. They do not even have to ask. It makes the stop much shorter.

[phillipl]

ROGER!

Come to Chengdu! - You won't have those problems here!

PHILLIP

[Roger]

Phillip,

'come to Chengdu..." haha! I know Chengdu as a tourist, like it very much indeed, but I have spent eight years in Guangdong and Hong Kong, with a brief stint in Shandong! Unfortunately, I do not think CHengdu is free from such harassment! Why? It is in CHINA, that's why!
In Ji'nan, the plice waylaid me (because there was a rumour in the neighbourhood that a long-bnosed person was living in one of those brand-new estates). The police came to my home, and later I had to go to their office! Much later, they held me under virtual house arrest in a guesthouse! This because my boss was keeping me with a work visa for the wrong place! And also because he had not bothered to get PSB approval to house me in a private estate!
In Shenzhen, the police raided my home (and all the homes in a 24 floor tower) 3 times in 3 months! Oh, you will not keep the door locked when they come at 5 to midnight!

And as for inspection of my ID papers on a public road, this was the SECOND incident in about twelve months!

Even in Hong Kong, I had a brush with the police who came unannounced to apartments in a decent neighbourhood to check whether there were any illegals! They usually came at 5 a.m.
So, how can CHengdu be much safer?

[Hamish]

[ESL Guru]

Hamish -

Exactly where do you think you are? Texas - Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama. All those racist places where at least certain Constitutional protections exist. Unreasonable search and seizure is a unique function of the US Constitution. I do not think even England has such a powerful Constitutional provision.

This is China! When they come, they come in. Maybe they knock and maybe they do not. But they do come in when they decide.

This rant is not an attack on you Uncle Hamish.

I am just trying to emphasize that when we come to Asia with western eyes, nothing is as it appears. When we come to Asia with western mentality we must remember that flexible people do not break.

I particularly like your question because it does exemplify the great divide between us and them and how much we have to learn about them. After all, we are in their country so it is up to us to learn and adapt.

Take everything you know and understand about Constitutional rights and abandon them right here and now because these people have absolutrely nothing that resembles any of them. This is a strictly controlled society of 1.3 billion mostly very poor people. Poor economically, spiritually and socially. This govt is based upon a socialistic crowd control theory with communistic characteristics. In other parts of the world it could be viewed as a military junta or dictatorship by committee.

Just as the camel is a horse designed and built by a committee, China is a dictatorship designed and built by the central Committee.

Please do not get me wrong here. I love China, its people, culture, food, etc etc etc. But one does need to throw out old things and acquire new things to fully adjust to permanent residence with a Chinese spouse in China.

Roger -
After making the original post here I realized that it may be construed as a hijack but that was not the intent. I think we should be free to let a conversation flow a natural course rather than be placed in a straightjacket. Just like in a coffee shop. I think the flame is the hijack.

But nonetheless, if I have offended you with this post, please forgive me.

[Hamish]

Thanks!

Some things have happened here that have brought your message "home."

Regards,