Memoirs of China: Why Shanghai's Streets are Safe

[JOURNAL ENTRY, MARCH 2005:]

The Chinese people will not tolerate street crime. An essentially law abiding and self-disciplined group of people, they abhor individual acts of lawlessness. Here in Shanghai, the worst cases of urban crime involve the occasional pickpocket. A few weeks ago, our housekeeper, Jian Ayi, suddenly rushed into the bedroom where I was writing, yelling “Mr. Don! Mr. Don!” She pointed out the window to a scene on the street below. A crowd of people were flinging themselves at a man already in cuffs. After a brief struggle, the police extricated the man from the enraged crowd and hustled him into a squad car. Later, I learned that such scenes are fairly typical in China. In many cases, the police will watch for a few minutes while bystanders “tenderize” a suspect. Then they wade in and, in a warm, fatherly way, disperse the vigilantes. Show’s over….