Officers, vendors swap jobs

Both gain sympathy for the other in Changzhou outreach program

The Urban Management Bureau of Changzhou, Jiangsu province, shared its daily work with vendors, in an effort to cultivate mutual understanding with a group that is often hostile toward urban patrol officers and their enforcement duties.

One of the vendors, Liu Wei, who has lived in Changzhou for eight years, was fined by the bureau for selling barbecued food without a license.

"I was fined twice by the bureau, totaling 1,000 yuan ($145)," Liu said. "That meant I worked five days for nothing. When I saw the bureau's notice to share their work, I jumped at the chance. I want to know what they do and why they fine us."

Liu donned an official uniform, carried a recorder, received an intercom and started a day's work in the city's Tianning district.

"I thought the work would be very easy because I'm one of them. I have many vendor friends and I know how to talk to them," he said.

But the work turned out to be more difficult than he imagined. Some vendors refused to leave the roadside where passersby often stop and buy goods. A supermarket owner even pushed Liu out of the door after he tried to talk him into moving roadside goods indoors.

Liu had to call his colleagues for help. They told him he should keep calm and avoid using provocative words that might worsen the situation. They smiled and explained the regulations patiently to the vendors and shop owners.

Besides patrolling roads, Liu's work included cleaning up random graffiti on walls, demolishing illegal constructions and controlling illegal parking. He and other patrol officers had to carry a video recorder to prove that they did not use violence in doing their job.

"I used to think that the work of the urban management bureau was to rob vendors," Liu said. "Now I know their duties and that their work is not easy. Mutual understanding is essential to avoid conflicts."

Then there was the other side: Some undercover urban management officers also worked as vendors in Changzhou to experience the vendors' daily lives and ensure that their colleagues do their work in the right way, according to Qian Li, deputy director of the Lanling squadron in the city's Tianning district.

"Their experiences will be shown on the internet," Qian said. "A documentary will also be made based on the experiences of the vendors and our workers."

Conflicts between vendors and city management workers are reported from time to time throughout China.