Chris Devonshire-ellis On What To Do When The Chinese Police Turn Up

Chris Devonshire-ellis On What To Do When The Chinese Police Turn Up

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Most foreigners in China wont have much of a problem with Chinas police, unless they are really naughty, or just very stupid. However, that doesnt necessarily mean that they will not confront you from time to time. If and when they do, it pays to know how to act.

Just this week, I was involved in an incident with police in Shanghai. Although I had nothing to do with the incident in question, had matters been handled poorly, my detention may well have followed. The story I will relate will be very familiar to many long term expatriates in China, yet it could have all gone very badly wrong, and the lessons within are of note to any visiting businessman.

I was joining a group of long-term expatriates some of whom have been in China for over 20 years, and most for at least 10 at a pre-Chinese New Year dinner at a relatively obscure Chinese restaurant in the Puxi area of the city. A private room had been booked, and as most of us were associated with a branch of the local Hash House Harriers, the internationally known Drinking Club with a Running Problem, large quantities of beer were expected to be consumed over the course of the evening.

Everything went swimmingly well great food, beer and conversation until about 11 p.m. when members began, reluctantly, to leave. One of the first to go forgot his jacket. With Shanghai having snowed just a few days previously, after only a minute outside he realized and returned to collect it. However, when reentering the restaurant, he pulled the entrance door instead of pushing it and the door handle came off in his hand. It had been attached by little more than cheap glue and some sticky tape. It was rather obviously a botched repair job awaiting someone to properly fix it.

Collecting his jacket, there was a minor discussion with the restaurant manager, who had darkly muttered something about RMB1,000 to fix the door, regardless of the fact that collectively, our food and drinks consumption had probably given him the best takings of the week. The bill, in fact, had already been met and we were merely supping up our last dregs. Our door-handle-destructing friend shook off the managers comments as a mild complaint rather than anything serious, collected his jacket, and after a couple of raised comments towards the manager, departed into the mists of a Shanghai winter evening. It was, after all, a trivial matter.

However, the manager didnt see it that way. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, still merrily swapping stories and drinking in our room, he called the police and reported a case of property damage. Five minutes later, those of us still left in the room some 10 expats were confronted by two uniformed and one plain clothes policemen, the manager, and a couple of burly-looking types in support probably some local thugs to ensure we didnt run away. It was a somewhat incredulous group of expats who were sternly told by the police to remain while they established a few facts. We were, in effect, witnesses to a crime, possibly guilty by association, and they needed to discuss this with us. The damage to the door, we were told, was now evaluated at RMB20,000 (close to US$3,000).

At this stage, the reaction of the various expatriates around the table determined the outcome. One, a fluent Chinese speaker, immediately became somewhat obnoxious, and began berating the police, in Chinese and English, for being so stupid. He even attempted, in beer-laden outrage, to perform a moon and expose his buttocks to them (he was restrained from doing so). However, the police reaction to this show of petulance was immediate I want to see all your passports. If you do not have, we take you all to the police station. You want to go?


About the Author:

To read the rest of this story by Chris Devonshire-Ellis, about living in China, visit China-Briefing.com.

Chris Devonshire-Ellis is also the founder of ChinaExpat.com



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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