On the eve of the two sessions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), various regions have introduced new “stability control” measures. In Beijing, surveillance has been set up early at intersections and on bridges, Inner Mongolia officials are visiting petitioners and delivering “petition termination notices” house by house, while Shanghai authorities are monitoring phone calls of the public and sending petitioners to black prisons.
The 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will convene on March 5th and March 4th respectively in Beijing. Starting from March 1st and 2nd, personnel have been stationed at the bridges and intersections in Beijing.
According to reports, recently there have been surveillance personnel stationed at intersections and bridges in areas like Maju Bridge in Beijing, with individuals patrolling the streets and buses. There are two types of bridge watchers, one working 24 hours for 350 yuan and the other for 12 hours for 160 yuan. The job requires individuals to be over 170cm tall, under 48 years old, and have no criminal record. The work period is 13 days, during which they may stand or sit while on duty, but leaders come to inspect periodically and the rest of the time, two people are on duty.
Since the end of February, agencies have been announcing job opportunities to watch intersections and bridges, with some positions requiring individuals not to exceed 55 years of age and paying between 160-180 yuan for 12 hours and 340-350 yuan for 24 hours. Some positions require certification while others do not.
Those familiar with the situation noted that the work is not easy, as individuals have to work night shifts continuously for 13 days. Despite the low hourly wage of less than 15 yuan, many are eager to take on the job. Within 10 minutes of job postings, positions are filled because making money this year is particularly tough. The job postings are all handled by agents who take a large cut, withholding two days’ worth of salary if the work is incomplete.
Since the Four Bridges incident in 2022, whenever sensitive dates approach, Beijing authorities enlist people to watch bridges, creating special security positions for bridge watchers. On October 13, 2022, just two days before the 20th CCP National Congress, a courageous individual named Peng Lifa (Peng Zaizhou) staged a protest by standing alone on the Four Bridges in Beijing with a banner that read, “We want food instead of nucleic acid tests, reform instead of the Cultural Revolution, freedom instead of sealing off and controlling, voting instead of leaders, dignity instead of lies, and to be citizens rather than slaves.”
In the aftermath of the incident at Four Bridges, camouflage tents and bridge watchers appeared on the overpasses in Beijing.
A human rights activist in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, told reporters that before the two sessions, the government and police were heavily engaged in stability maintenance, with strict security checks at stations and airports. The Hohhot Railway Center announced that starting immediately, passengers heading towards Beijing (including those transferring trains) would undergo secondary security checks, requiring passengers to arrive at the station early to allow for sufficient security check time. The second security check refers to an additional safety inspection at the waiting area after the initial security check at the entrance.
During this period of stability maintenance, railway police were also on the scene conducting arrests of petitioners going to Beijing. In video footage, it showed a petitioner in a green padded jacket being forcibly pushed into a police car in a chaotic scene. The ID number of a police officer present indicated that he was a traffic police officer.
In addition, the Inner Mongolia Public Security Bureau has been visiting key individuals’ homes and delivering “petition termination notices.”
“I have never filed a petition with the Inner Mongolia Public Security Bureau!” the human rights activist stated.
A human rights activist in Shanghai informed reporters that stability maintenance during the two sessions is an annual affair with various tactics to control information. They cannot discuss going to Beijing during calls, as police will immediately come for stability maintenance upon interception.
It is rumored that the central government allocates funds for stability maintenance in Shanghai through financial channels based on a per-capita calculation. The stability maintenance costs for a petitioner during the two sessions can reach up to 100,000 yuan.
Last year, Shanghai human rights advocate Song Jiahong exposed a list of black prisons in Shanghai to the outside world. The list contained up to 145 facilities across various districts in Shanghai detaining petitioners, with detailed addresses, confinement durations (ranging from a few days to 80-90 days), and responsible units. This revealed the dire human rights situation in Shanghai, a metropolis.
The aforementioned human rights activists stated, “Now petitioners cannot go to Beijing, and if they do, they are escorted back. Upon their return, they are detained in black guesthouses or rural homestays. There are 11 lists of black prisons online, but in reality, the number is more than tenfold.”