This week in Shanghaiist
Interview: Coco Zhao, from jazz to M. Butterfly
Hopefully, the shoe thieves and pickpockets have all gone home for the Chinese New Year: "Oh Daddy, another stolen Motorola phone? You shouldn't have!" Two people we know have been the victims of pickpockets in these last few weeks leading up to the Spring Festival, and we've even seen some at work by the train station.
In Haikou, Hainan, a group of people have decided to fight back. Led by 53-year-old Lao Yun, they're a group of volunteers that goes around patrolling for and stopping pickpockets. Lao Yun has a sharp eye for pickpockets, and also knows how to deal with them once he finds them. You can only join the team on a volunteer basis—there's no pay—but you do get a little badge or card that says that you are a bona fide member of the team.
You can check out the rest of the pictures here.
And is it us or does there appear to be a monkey in the attached picture?
Photo from nanfangdaily.com
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Shows how ineffectual the local PSB is.
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I've probably busted up some 20 pickpocket attempts in Shanghai, mostly around the Chengshu subway, where I used to live.
The pickpockets around town, mostly, but certainly not limited to Uighur kids working for their Dickens-esque adult handlers, are amazingly brazen. This is largely the byproduct of the local philosophy of apathy when it comes to intervening on thieves at work. However, in the event that a thief flees across the street and gets hit by a car, you should then feel perfectly welcome to stand over their body and gawk at them as you enjoy a cigarette.
A stern shout of warning to a pickpocket's mark, or better yet, directly at the culprit themselves—something like "gun dan xiao tou" (fuck off thief)—is usually enough to head of the situation with virtually no trouble. Contrary to what locals believe, your action will not bring barbarians out from behind the shadows to exact revenge against your heroism.
In the end, you’ll have saved some innocent xiao jie from getting her wallet or mobile phone pinched. Your good dead will be deeply appreciated, and you may even get a date out of the deal.
This Chinese New Year lets all be model citizens.