Chaoyang masses: the rise of Beijing’s neighbourhood patrols

Red-armbanded neighbourhood watchers have become a common sight on streets of

China’s capital

They are often seen wearing a red armband patrolling residential neighbourhoods of
Chaoyang, the biggest district of Beijing, which is home to nearly 3.5 million people.
On a sunny late autumn afternoon, they will sit with a group of retirees in the sun and
chat away. But when an individual of interest turns up, their attention quickly diverts to
them.
Patrol: to go around an area or a building to see if there is any trouble or danger
Retiree: a person who has stopped working
Diverts: to cause something or someone to change direction:
In Chinese media and official police statements, these vigilante neighbourhood
watchers are called the “Chaoyang masses”. Last week, the state-owned Global Times
went a step further, quoting internet users as saying the mysterious group “could match
four famous intelligence [agencies], the CIA, MI6, KGB and Mossad”. Some jokingly
called it “the fifth largest intelligence agency in the world”.
Vigilante: a person who tries in an unofficial way to prevent crime
quote: to repeat the words that someone else has said or written
intelligence agency: a government department involved in the gathering of military or
political information, especially in the interests of national security.
經常看到他們戴著紅袖章在北京最大的街區朝陽的居民區巡邏，這裡有近 350
萬人口。在一個陽光明媚的深秋午後，他們會和一群退休人員坐在陽光下閒聊。
但是，當感興趣的人出現時，他們的注意力很快就會轉移到他們身上。

在中國媒體和警方官方聲明中，這些自衛的鄰里守望者被稱為“朝陽群眾”。上
週，國有的《環球時報》更進一步，援引互聯網用戶的話說，這個神秘組織“可
以匹配四個著名的情報機構，中央情報局、軍情六處、克格勃和摩薩德”。有人
戲稱它為“世界第五大情報機構”。
For years, volunteers in the Chinese capital have become a part of its daily social
fabric. They help run their neighbourhoods by picking up litter and guiding those who
are lost. They also observe, listen and follow every clue that might lead to a potential
legal case. The rise of the Chaoyang masses exemplifies the extraordinary ability of the
ruling Communist party to mobilise grassroots forces to keep the vast country running,
but also to keep its populace in check.
social fabric: a country's basic structure, way of life, traditions, customs, and beliefs.
Run:
Observe: to watch carefully
Potential: possible when the necessary conditions exist
Exemplify: to be or give a typical example of something
Rule: to control or be the person in charge of something such as a countr
Communist party: a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of
communism.
Mobilise: to organize or prepare something, such as a group of people, for a purpose
Grassroots: the ordinary people in a society or an organization, especially a political
party
Vast: extremely big
Last week, when the “piano prince” Li Yundi was detained for allegedly hiring a sex
worker, Beijing police credited the “masses” in Chaoyang for tipping them off. Internet
users were once again fascinated by the role of these vigilant citizens in bringing down
yet another celebrity. Discussions about them quickly erupted on social media.
So far, the hashtag: #Who exactly are Chaoyang masses? has been viewed at least 310
million times on the Chinese social media site Weibo. “Bravo, Chaoyang masses, you
are unsung heroes!” wrote one commenter. “How did people know that it’s a prostitute
and her customer? Why not a married couple, friends, hookup buddies?” questioned
another.
Detain: to force someone officially to stay in a place
Allegedly: used when something is said to be true but has not been proved:
Credit: praise, approval, or honour:
tip off.: a secret warning or piece of secret information
vigilant: always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger
erupt: to start suddenly and violently
hookup buddies: A relationship between two people who intermittently meet for any
action including or between cuddling and intercourse.

多年來，中國首都的志願者已成為其日常社會結構的一部分。他們通過撿垃圾和
引導走失的人來幫助管理他們的社區。他們還觀察、傾聽並跟踪可能導致潛在法
律案件的每一個線索。朝陽群眾的崛起體現了執政的共產黨在動員基層力量以保
持廣大國家運轉，同時也控制其民眾的非凡能力。

上週，當“鋼琴王子”李云迪因涉嫌僱用性工作者而被拘留時，北京警方認為是
朝陽“群眾”告發了他們。互聯網用戶再次對這些警惕的公民在打倒另一位名人
方面的作用著迷。關於他們的討論很快在社交媒體上爆發。

到目前為止，標籤：#朝陽群眾到底是誰？在中國社交媒體網站微博上的瀏覽量
至少達到 3.1 億次。“好樣的，朝陽群眾，你們是無名英雄！” 寫了一位評論
者。“人們怎麼知道這是妓女和她的顧客？為什麼不是已婚夫婦、朋友、搭檔？”
另一個人質問。
To longtime Beijingers, the name Chaoyang masses is not unfamiliar, even though they
are not the only force running the city’s neighbourhoods, said Ka-ming Wu, an
anthropologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who studies the rise of these
volunteers. “They are often retirees and female. Many would call them grassroots
governing agents for the party state, but grannies themselves speak of their service in
terms of contribution and honour.”
Longtime: having existed or lasted for many years
Anthropologist: someone who scientifically studies humans and their customs, beliefs,
and relationships
Grannies: grandmother
in terms of: in relation to something
contribution: something that you contribute or do to help produce or achieve something
together with other people, or to help make something successful

Ling Li, an expert in Chinese politics and law at the University of Vienna, said the
hyperactivity of these neighbourhood watchers is primarily the result of the expansion
of state-sponsored public procurements of social services from private individuals or
entities.
Hyperactivity: the state of having more energy than is normal, becoming excited easily,
and being unable to stay still or think about work
Expansion: to increase in size, number, or importance, or to make something increase
in this way:
Procurement: the process of getting supplies
Entity: something that exists apart from other things, having its own independent
existence

“Although such services may be procured also for the provision of social aids, they are
predominantly used to help maintain social stability: for instance, intelligence
collection, neighbourhood surveillance, post-incarceration monitoring and other crime
prevention activities,” Li said.
Procure: to get something, especially after an effort
Provision: the act of providing something
Predominantly: mostly or mainly
Stability: a situation in which something is not likely to move or change:
Surveillance: the careful watching of a person or place, especially by the police or army,
because of a crime that has happened or is expected
post-incarceration: the state of being confined in prison
monitor: a person who has the job of watching or noticing particular things
研究這些志願者崛起的香港中文大學人類學家吳家明說，對於長期在北京的人來
說，朝陽群眾這個名字並不陌生，儘管他們並不是管理城市社區的唯一力量。“他
們通常是退休人員和女性。許多人會稱他們為黨國的基層執政代理人，但阿婆們
自己則從貢獻和榮譽的角度來談論他們的服務。”

維也納大學中國政治和法律專家李玲說，這些鄰里觀察者的過度活躍主要是國家
資助的從私人或實體購買社會服務的公共採購擴大的結果。

“雖然此類服務也可能用於提供社會援助，但它們主要用於幫助維持社會穩定：
例如情報收集、鄰里監視、入獄後監測和其他預防犯罪活動，”李說。

According to state media, more than 850,000 such volunteers were registered across
Beijing in the summer of 2017. In different districts, they have tailor-made names, too.
For example, in Xicheng distract, the western part of Beijing with nearly 1.3 million
people, they are called “Westside Mamas”. And in Tongzhou in the east, they are called
“The common people of Tongzhou”.
tailor-made: specially made for a particular purpose

But the Chaoyang masses are the best known. So much so that in 2017, Beijing police
developed a mobile phone app with the same name, offering citizens a tool with which
to provide tipoffs. By then, Chaoyang district officials had claimed that about 130,000
names had already been registered with them – 277 people per square kilometre. On
average they provided close to 20,000 tipoffs every month, for sins ranging from
terrorism to drug use and theft.
Tipoffs: a secret warning or piece of secret information
Sin: the offence of breaking, or the breaking of, a religious or moral law
Terrorism: violent action for political purposes:
據官方媒體報導，2017 年夏天，全北京共有超過 85 萬這樣的志願者註冊。在不
同的地區，他們也有量身定做的名字。比如在西城，北京西部近 130 萬人，被稱
為“西城媽媽”。而在東方的通州，他們被稱為“通州百姓”。

但朝陽群眾最為人所知。以至於 2017 年，北京警方開發了一款同名手機應用程

序，為市民提供了一種提供舉報的工具。到那時，朝陽區官員聲稱已經在他們那
裡登記了大約 130,000 個名字——每平方公里 277 人。平均而言，他們每月提
供近 20,000 次舉報，涉及從恐怖主義到吸毒和盜竊等各種罪行。
Earlier this year, a Beijing community police officer told a Chinese newspaper that if
neighbourhood watchers on the lookout for prostitution find a girl who always goes
home in high heels and short skirts at 2am-3 am with different men, “then it’s time for
us to step in and check what exactly she does”.
Prostitution: the business of having sex for money

According to the same newspaper report, Chaoyang volunteers are paid 300 yuan to
500 yuan (£35-£60) a month. And if accidents happen in the line of duty, volunteers
receive up to 1.2m yuan (£136,000) insurance compensation as well as an additional
subsidy.
Subsidy: money given as part of the cost of something, to help or encourage it to happen
Compensation: money that is paid to someone in exchange for something that has been
lost or damaged or for some problem

In recent years, neighbourhood watchers have often been credited with turning in
prominent artists and celebrities. These include the Hollywood actor Jackie Chan’s son
Jaycee, who was arrested on drug-related charges in 2014. The Chaoyang masses have
also been praised for keeping an eye on foreign agents, with news reports from as early
as 1974 detailing the way they assisted the police in the arrest of Soviet spies.
Prominent: very noticeable, important, or famou:
keeping an eye on: to watch or take care of something or someone
Soviet spies: a person who secretly collects and reports information about the activities
of another country or organization
今年早些時候，北京一名社區警官告訴一家中國報紙，如果鄰里監視賣淫的人發
現一個總是在凌晨 2 點至凌晨 3 點穿著高跟鞋和短裙回家的女孩 和不同的男
人，“那是時候找我們了。”介入並檢查她到底做了什麼”。

據同一份報紙報導，朝陽志願者的月薪為 300 元至 500 元（35 至 60 英鎊）

。
如果在執行任務時發生事故，志願者將獲得高達 120 萬元人民幣（136,000 英
鎊）的保險賠償以及額外的補貼。

近年來，社區觀察者經常被認為是傑出藝術家和名人的交集。其中包括好萊塢演
員成龍的兒子房祖名，他於 2014 年因涉毒被捕。朝陽群眾也因密切關注外國特
工而受到稱讚，早在 1974 年的新聞報導就詳細說明了他們協助警察逮捕蘇聯
間諜。
But not every volunteer is happy at the association with spying, or the claims of
financial reward, said Wu. “The state wanted to create an impression that there are
gender, class and ethnic internal enemies and emphasise the securitisation of urban life,
but most volunteers I spoke to were just there to kill time and keep the community clean
and nice.”
Impression: an idea or opinion of what something or someone is like
Ethnic: relating or belonging to a group of people who can be seen as distinct (=
different)
Emphasize: to show that something is very important or worth giving attention to
Securitization: to borrow money in the form of bonds which can then be traded on
financial markets
Urban: of or in a city or town
Nevertheless, the authorities began to promote them, releasing a set of cartoons for
them in 2015. In 2017, China’s president, Xi Jinping, spoke fondly of them when
inspecting Beijing. “Where there are more red armbands, there is extra safety and peace
of mind,” he said.

“[The Chaoyang masses] have three magic weapons,” declared Xia Ke Dao, a Wechat
account under the official People’s Daily, last week after the arrest of the now disgraced
pianist Li. “They come in large numbers, they are hard to discern, and they are good at
reasoning.”
Disgrace: embarrassment and the loss of other people's respect, or behaviour that causes
this=shame
Reasoning: the action of thinking about something in a logical, sensible way.
吳說，但並不是每個志願者都對與間諜活動或經濟獎勵的聯繫感到高興。“國家
想要營造一種存在性別、階級和種族內部敵人的印象，並強調城市生活的安全化，
但與我交談的大多數志願者只是在那裡消磨時間，保持社區清潔和美好。”

儘管如此，當局還是開始對他們進行宣傳，2015 年為他們發行了一套漫畫。2017
年，中國國家主席習近平在北京視察時對他們贊不絕口。“哪裡有更多的紅袖章，
哪裡就有更多的安全和安心，”他說。

“[朝陽群眾]擁有三件法寶，”官方人民日報旗下微信公眾號夏柯道上週在現已
聲名狼藉的鋼琴家李被捕後宣稱。“它們數量眾多，難以辨別，而且善於推理。”