Not your average nosy neighbours

Caught out: Li and Jaycee (below) are among the high-profile cases the Chaoyang qunzhong were involved in.

Local community in Beijing helping the authorities reduce crime rate and illegal activities

THEY could be cleaners, delivery riders, street vendors, professionals, servicemen, corporate executives or retirees but they share one common goal – maintaining public order and safety of their homes.

These ordinary citizens living in Beijing’s Chaoyang district keep a watch on suspicious characters and illegal activities and report their findings to the enforcement teams.

Known as the Chaoyang qunzhong (Chaoyang masses), these anonymous citizens have provided thousands of tip-offs to the authorities over the years.

The Beijingers have jokingly referred them as “the world’s fifth largest intelligence force” after the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the former Soviet Union’s KGB, Israel’s Mossad and the MI6 secret intelligence service of the United Kingdom.

Chaoyang qunzhong’s latest achievement is the arrest of renowned Chinese pianist Li Yundi recently.

Police said they picked up a 39-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman at 9pm following a public tip-off on alleged prostitution activity at a residence in the district.

Although the duo’s identities were not revealed, it was later confirmed the man nabbed was that of China’s Prince of Piano – an honour Li gained for being the first Chinese and the youngest winner of the International Chopin Piano competition.

He was just 18 then.

Under Chinese law, those engaged in prostitution can be detained for 10 to 15 days, plus a fine of up to 5,000 yuan (RM3,250).

Li’s arrest has caused an impact on the variety show Call Me by Fire, which features a list of Hong Kong stars such as Jordan Chan, Julian Cheung Chi-lam, Paul Wong Koon-chung, Michael Tse Tin-wah and MC Jin, Chinese kungfu actor Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo as well as Taiwanese singer Terry Lin and actor Jerry Yan.

The production team of the programme had to blur out his face in a pre-recorded episode when it was aired.

They had done the same to Chinese singer Huo Zun, who was blacklisted for “improper behaviour” after he was accused of dating several women at the same time.

Chaoyang, a south-central district of Beijing, covers an area of 470 sq km and has an estimated population of 3.5 million.

It houses the central business zone, the iconic CCTV building and the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, that made it the most prosperous and happening region in the Chinese capital.

The district is also a popular site for studios and film production houses and many artistes live in the area.

It was reported that Chaoyang qunzhong channel more than 20,000 tip-offs to the authorities yearly and one-third of them were useful.

The term became a household word after the community helped police crack down on a list of high-profile cases involving popular figures including the arrest of international kungfu star Jackie Chan’s son Jaycee over drugs in 2014.

Their “popularity” shot up in 2017 after police named a whistle-blower mobile app after the group – a tribute to these mysterious spies.

In 2018, police cracked 370 cases, including theft, drugs and sexual activities, following the arrest of 250 suspects based on the over 8,300 tip-offs from the community.

After that, “The Chaoyang branch received reports from the public...” became a common opening line of police when announcing their crime battling successes.

One member of the community, a 71-year-old woman, known only as Wang, helped police bust a prostitution den.

It was reported that the dama (elderly woman) spotted a young man, who had just moved into her apartment, often wandering in the compound and interacting with male strangers who would then pay a short visit to his unit.

She also noticed that the neighbour, who lived alone, ordered food enough for several people at every meal.

The dama alerted the police, who later confirmed the apartment unit was being used as a prostitution den housing six female sex workers.

In the west, the Xicheng dama (elderly women of the West City district) has ganged up to form another “secret agency” (Beijing has 16 districts).

Although not as famous as their Chaoyang counterparts, members of the group are mostly elderly aunties.

The Xicheng dama has a strong presence of nearly 100,000 registered volunteers.

Wearing a red cap, red jacket and a red armband, they patrol car parks, bus stops, residential and commercial areas, and are on the look out for suspicious characters and vehicles.

Xicheng dama became known to the public after they reported the whereabouts of a wanted man involved in a series of thefts to police and tracked down dozens of clues involving violent attacks in 2015.

In Haidian district – the cyberhub of Beijing – Haidian netizens have also chipped in their efforts in battling crime.

Hiding behind their computers or cellphones, these spies have kept an eye on online information and messages with their expertise in the cyberworld.

Together with the Fengtai persuaders in the southern Fengtai district, they are known as the Four Mysterious Organisations of Beijing that have contributed in making the Chinese capital one of the safest places on Earth.

If you stroll down the alleys of Beijing one day, do not be surprised if an aunty or uncle came asking where are you heading to and who you are meeting with, they mean no harm but just doing what they could to safeguard their homes.