Shanxi merchants fail to keep lights on all night as required, officials forced to open doors and turn on lights

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party authorities have been carrying out a “beautification project,” using lighting to enhance the aesthetics of cities and create an image project for the “display economy.”

Recently, Datong City in Shanxi Province issued a notice stating that in order to create a festive atmosphere, businesses are required to illuminate both the interiors and exteriors of their premises during the holiday period. Some businesses failed to comply with the lighting requirement, and officials sent law enforcement personnel to forcibly open the doors and turn on the lights, sparking public outrage.

According to reports from JiMu News, on February 3rd, a netizen in Datong, Shanxi, posted a video showing that multiple staff members forcibly opened the doors of a shop that did not have its lights on as required.

The video footage from the scene shows several staff members in uniform standing outside a shop at night, with some firefighters squatting at the door using tools to force it open. With a loud noise as something was cut, the door was forcibly opened, and several firefighters entered the shop, turned on the lights, and left. Finally, two staff members in fluorescent green uniforms locked the door using a U-lock.

On February 4th, Mr. Yue, a shop owner on Guolou East Street in Datong, Shanxi, told Huashang News, “At 10 pm last night, I had already closed the shop. Around 11 pm, our local property management or urban management department called me and asked me to come to the shop to turn on the lights. I said I couldn’t come because my son had just been born and had not reached one month old. I was already putting him to bed.”

Mr. Yue went on to say, “Their attitude was very tough. They demanded that I go open the lights, and if I didn’t, they threatened to call the police to forcibly open the door. I told them this wasn’t right; law enforcement shouldn’t behave like this, right?”

Mr. Yue provided surveillance video of his shop, showing that on February 3rd at 11:21 pm, several staff members in reflective uniforms and military coats entered the shop with flashlights to turn on the lights, with the back of their reflective uniforms bearing the words “Pingcheng Comprehensive Law Enforcement.”

Mr. Yue stated that the staff members forced open the door and turned on the lights, causing damage to the door and lock, resulting in certain losses and effects on his business operations. “They broke open two doors, cut the lock on the main door, damaged the ground lock of the second door, and the door frame was deformed and couldn’t be closed.”

Mr. Yue explained, “Our shop is a traditional-style building with wooden structures from floor to roof. The business operator has changed several times, and the electrical wires are all exposed instead of being inside the walls. My electricity bill is around 3000 yuan per month, with each unit costing 1 yuan.”

On the night of the incident, Mr. Yue called the police, saying, “I went to file a report, but the police station said they couldn’t handle it. I will go to the police station today to get a receipt for the case. I also filed a complaint through 12345, but up to now, no department has explained the situation to me.”

Mr. Yue revealed that before the holiday, he had received a written notice from the community. “They distributed two leaflets to service personnel, requiring the lights inside the shop to be turned on. In fact, we have been cooperating all along. I kept the lights on at the storefront and outside, but turned off the lights inside the shop. The local propaganda claimed that 97% of businesses cooperated with the lighting requirement, so do the remaining 3% deserve to have their doors forcibly opened?”

Regarding the incident involving Datong City’s initiative for “beautification work,” this is part of the “beautification project” being promoted by the Chinese authorities in various major cities.

The so-called “beautification project” is aimed at using lighting to enhance the city’s image, beautify the urban environment, improve the overall image of the city, and illuminate prominent buildings, shopping centers, tourist attractions, streets, and other areas with high pedestrian traffic.

According to mainland media, many city leaders personally oversee the city’s beautification projects and include this work in the municipal government’s work plans. They appoint dedicated personnel and establish specialized agencies such as the “Beautification Office” to vigorously implement “brightening projects” and night lighting projects. The “beautification project” is essentially a façade project created by the Chinese Communist Party to showcase the economy and has become a key achievement for local officials.

Some netizens commented on the incident, expressing their disapproval of the authorities forcibly entering shops to enforce lighting regulations without any imminent danger, which they deemed as a blatant violation of the law with significantly different implications than mere compliance issues.

The incident in Datong has raised concerns about excessive enforcement measures and the lack of communication and understanding between authorities and local businesses. The clash between regulations and practical considerations for small business owners like Mr. Yue underscores the complexities and challenges faced in implementing urban beautification initiatives.