Nanjing ‘Chengguan’ Stepping on Street Vendor Angers Netizens

From NetEase:

Nanjing city management temporary worker “accidentally” steps on street vendor

This morning [June 27th], this reporter saw a piece of news on microblogs about a chengguan stepping on [pressing down on the ground with his foot] a street vendor/peddler at the bottom of the Nanjing Hexi Wanda Building. This microblog post also included an eye-grabbing photograph. A city management official actually stepping on a street vendor? Many netizens were in disbelief. The moment this microblog message was posted, it was quickly forwarded and spread online. In response to this, the Nanjing Jian’ye District Xinglong Street City Management Branch said: “This enforcement personnel is not a chengguan, is only an assistant [temporary worker], and only accidentally stepped on the street vendor.”

Netizen’s original expose: Chengguan steps on street vendor at the bottom of the Hexi Wanda Building

The “Chengguan steps on street vendor” microblog post attracted the attention of the entire city

Around 10pm on the evening of June 25th, “September舌甘” was driving past the area around Hexi Wanda and saw some people gathered below the Wanda Building. Looking closely, one person unbelievably had another person under his heel, and it just happened to be on the other person’s neck. Outraged, she quickly took out her mobile phone and took a photograph, and posted on her microblog: “This is what China’s chengguan are like, outrageous, below the Wanda [building], please forward.” The moment this microblog message was posted, it was soon reposted and forwarded by “龙虎网我新闻”, “JSBC突发新闻记者”, and other microblogs.

Some netizens immediately thought of the recent news of chengguan carrying off a street peddler’s watermelons: “Chengguan are just like bandits, casually taking and walking away with a watermelon peddler’s watermelons!”

[Note: This refers to a video of another “temporary worker” assisting chengguan confiscating the four watermelons a street peddler was selling, but it was later revealed that this video was recorded by the chengguan themselves to document he enforcement and the watermelons were later released back to the street peddler.]

Microblogger “@大大大路遥” said “This is too inhuman [disrespectful]!”

“@史光头” could not understand: “Just who gave you the guts to use this foot? Just how much hate does one have to have to do such a thing!”

@夜未央fang: “I wrote about the chengguan problem in my graduation thesis. Most of these instances of bullying people are the result of the poor characters of chengguan personnel, so the key is to introduce people with better character [into the organization].”

Another microblogger “邪惡的老錢” said: “Ai you wei, chengguan sure are niubi, if they’re this bold, they should go fight Vietnam and the Philippines.

The City Management branch office replied: “It was an assistant who accidentally stepped on the street vendor.”

This reporter saw on the photograph that under the faint yellow light, next to a three-wheeled barbecue vendor’s cart was a man using his foot to step on another man’s neck, the man who was stepping wearing what appears to be an enforcement uniform. However, one cannot be sure. The microblogger said there is a closer photograph that proves that this man is a chengguan, but it was inconvenient to post it. “Even if it really is a chengguan officer, they will still have this or that kind of excuse. I just want them to be civilized in their enforcement. I’m not going to comment any more!”

Through this reporter’s investigations, around 10:30am yesterday, at the boundary between Jian’ye District’s Yanshan Road and the Gulou Software Park, there was indeed a dispute that occurred between a street vendor and enforcement personnel.

The Jian’ye District Xinglong Street City Management Branch Section Chief Chen Lin said that yesterday night they received many calls from city residents complaining about there being too many street vendors and peddlers doing business at the intersection of Hexi Yanshan Road and the Gulou Software Park. So they carried out a joint task force operation to restore order there. During the enforcement operation, there were disagreements.

“The street vendor at the time was brandishing a knife and cut one of our men on their head. A fight broke out between the two, and during the struggle to wrest away the knife, the street vendor fell down. Our man lost his footing and accidentally stepped on that street cart vendor, the angle of which just happened to be photographed by a netizen passing by.” Section Chief Chen Lin also indicated that enforcement these days is indeed difficult. When they receive a report from city residents, they have to take action, and there is bound to be disagreements and trouble during the process of enforcement.

A member of the Political Work Section of the Jian’ye District Public Security Sub-Bureau said that afterward, the assistant and the street cart vendor were brought to the police station to deal with this incident and it was confirmed that a fight had happened between the two. The street cart vendor had refused to comply and the assistant wanted to confiscate the street cart vendor’s things which the street cart vendor resisted. “There was indeed a physical struggle during the conflict but no one was cut.” This reporter also attempted to get in touch with the barbecue cart vendor but the street vendor wasn’t willing to give an interview.

At present, the Xinglong Street City Management Branch has already disciplined this assistant: “His evaluation bonus this month has been deducted, and is at home suspended from work. At the same time, we will strengthen education and guidance of our personnel, to be civilized in enforcement.”

Heated discussion amongst netizens: Chengguan steps on street vendor at the bottom of the Hexi Wanda Building

一米多高桔子：

Chengguan are just like bandits, casually taking and walking away with a watermelon peddler’s watermelons~!

等肉肉SOLOde_落寞小考拉：

How impressive he is!! Stepping on other people, simply a beast!! Those who trample on other people’s dignity shall eventually get what’s coming to them!!! I curse you!!!

各么事啊：

How can this kind of person become a chengguan? Strip him of his clothes and let him be a beggar for the rest of his life!

想跑的糖：

We can say chengguan are all just licended bullies!

陈小桃桃子：

I really don’t know by what right these chengguan can be so arrogant and unbridled!

悲催的louisa：

This must be forwarded, this national scum.

@大大大路遥:

Too inhuman~

札幌之小白：

The characters of chengguan truly can be compared to thugs and hooligans.

@夜未央fang:

I wrote about the chengguan problem in my graduation thesis. Most of these instances of bullying people are the result of the poor characters of chengguan personnel, so the key is to introduce people with better character [into the organization].

邪惡的老錢：

Ai you wei, chengguan sure are niubi, if they’re this bold, they should go fight Vietnam and the Philippines~~~@Nanjing Chengguan

墨色有谁看：

Human flesh search him out.

Comments from NetEase:

我用脚投票 [网易加拿大网友]：

Just imagine, what would happen if you were to “accidentally step on” a chengguan? Crime of obstruction of official duties!

改造人I [网易广东省珠海市网友]：

You think we’re all idiots…?

网易广东省中山市网友：

Does this posture look like he has “accidentally” stepped on him? It looks to me more like some high lord insulting a slave, crushing a slave underfoot as if her were just a bug!

王圣强 [网易北京市网友]：

Masters, if you think those street vendors and peddlers selling things have affected your city’s appearance, made you lose face, then establish a marketplace for them free of vendor booth/stall fees, so they can gather there to sell things. If you can’t do this, please don’t deprive them of their right to make a living!

Likewise, if you feel the ordinary common people’s homes aren’t as pretty as the villas you live in, then give each of them a villa. If you still can’t do this, then please don’t be like thugs and robbers and go forcibly demolish the small homes they depend on for shelter!

Those ordinary common people are not stealing or robbing, they’re just out peddling to do some small business, and yet they’re treated as if they’ve commit such huge crimes, beaten, smashed, hounded, and killed so they can’t live! What kind of world is this?!

网易黑龙江省哈尔滨市网友： (responding to above)

Brother, you can build a marketplace and they won’t go, because they intentionally want to sell things in busy areas. If it were as easy as you think it is, then everything would’ve been solved long ago. If people didn’t complain and force the chengguan to go deal with these things, who would be willing to spend their day arguing and fighting with people as if it were a war? Just so they could confiscate a few watermelons?

O万岁是老妖O [网易江苏省无锡市网友]：

Every time they try to explain it away, could they just admit fault once and then improve themselves?

尼克chen [网易美国网友]：

Sorry, I didn’t mean to fuck your wife.

fxw1186 [网易山东省菏泽市网友]：

When we can let some street peddlers also accidentally step on the chengguan, we’ll also deduct some of their monthly bonus!
I think these chengguan simply need to be fucked to death by dogs [should just go to hell].

网易浙江省杭州市网友：

Just how big is that foot for it to have blocked his field of vision [leading him to unknowingly step on another person]…

淡淡竹 [网易江苏省扬州市网友]：

WCNMLGB, I ate this brother’s barbecue not long ago. NMLGB, assistant? Accidentally? Why don’t you TM accidentally go drown?

www嚸cqwawa嚸tk [网易广东省广州市网友]：

Again, a temporary worker! Again, a temporary worker! Again, a temporary worker! Again, a temporary worker! Again, a temporary worker! [协管 xie guan, are typically individuals who are hired temporarily to assist with helping with enforcement, and include workers such as crosswalk monitors.]

网易河北省网友：

Do you know what is the most preposterous thing about China? It’s when we all already know the truth yet they’re still there lying to our faces. Do you know what is the most most preposterous thing about China? It’s when we all already know the truth, and they also know we know the truth, yet they’re still there lying to our faces. Do you know what is the most most preposterous thing about China? It’s when we all already know the truth, they also know we know the truth, they also know we know they are lying to our faces, and yet they’re still there lying to our faces.