A street food vendor in Sanya, Hainan was beaten by chengguan after an argument broke out over the position of her cart and its obstruction of traffic. The video currently circulating online shows her eight-year-old son screaming uncontrollably after seeing his mother lying on the ground with her face covered in blood. more ›

Though it's almost 2012, there's still time for more brawls in 2011 right? On December 28th, around 10pm, a pretty nasty brawl broke out between chengguan and some vendors outside a Xujiahui mall here in Shanghai. more ›

Another day, another street vendor vs chengguan (城管) brawl. Last night around 7pm in Putuo District, Shanghai, an unmarked van rolled up on a group of unlicensed street vendors working near the corner of Ningxia Road and Kaixuan Road. After the van stopped near the corner, 10 men jumped out and then began attacking the vendors in an attempt to get them to disperse. Several people were injured (including some of the attackers) and sent to the hospital, where they remain in a stable condition. more ›

Sometimes the line delineating reasonable and unreasonable becomes apparent after it's been crossed. This is one of those times: "Grabbing a street-food breakfast on the way to work could soon become a thing of the past for Shanghai residents, as the unlicensed vendors will be banned starting September 1, when the Shanghai Food Safety Regulation takes effect. All food sellers will be required to have a license, and while current street vendors can apply for licenses, they must operate their businesses only at designated spots and during certain times. Urban management officers will watch for illegal vendors, who will face fines of 500 yuan (US$77.5) if in violation. Companies will be banned from the food industry for five years if they are found violating the clause on expired foods. Authorities will put into citywide use technologies that were used during last year's World Expo, including real-time monitoring systems and the ability to trace food to its origin." [Eastday] more ›

(Warning: Video shows images of the deceased) Beaten to death at the hands of the universally-despised chengguan (城管), news of a street vendor's unjust demise in Anshun (安顺), Guizhou has gone viral and sparked rioting throughout the city. more ›

Have you ever wanted to become internet famous in China? Turns out, all you have to do is set up a food stand outside your local Chinese university and have the cops run you out. Oh also, be French. more ›

Massive crowds gathered in Jiuting, Songjiang District, southwest of Xujiahui, yesterday after a number of chengguans, or urban administrative officers, allegedly roughed up two motorists. more ›

What's the easiest way to get people to obey the law? Shanghai's Pudong district has decided it's by making sure that those lecturing you are pretty ladies. Their new "Beautiful Woman Chenguan" campaign, in which young, comely girls patrol the streets for "urban management," has apparently met with some success. more ›

• Gosh they're getting them while they're young - elementary school students in Shaoxing now have a chance to join the Chengguan Youth Special Forces and enact justice on street vendors. [Chinasmack]
• Daniel Gross, eat your heart out. Lawrence L. Allen, who worked for both Hershey and Nestlé in China, talks about the chocolate market's rise in China. [Danwei]
• Perhaps they misinterpreted what the public meant when they said they wanted officials with a more "beautiful image"; nearly one-fourth of one plastic surgeon's clients are male officials and their wives. [China.org.cn]

Troubling news has emerged over the last day regarding the tragic killing of a man in Tianmen, Hubei province. more ›