| City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 城市管理行政执法局 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau | ||||||
|
|||||||
The City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau (Chinese: 城市管理行政执法局; Chinese: 城市管理行政執法局; pinyin: Chéngshì Guǎnlǐ Xíngzhèng Zhífǎ Jú), commonly shortened to Chengguan (Chinese: 城管), is a local government agency that has been established in every city in the People's Republic of China.[1]
The agency is usually part of a municipal's City Urban Management Bureau (Chinese: 市城市管理局).[2] The agency is in charge with enforcement of urban management of the city. This includes local bylaws, city appearance bylaws, environment, sanitation, work safety, pollution control, health, and can involve enforcement in planning, greening, industry and commerce, environment protection, municipal affairs and water in large cities.[2]
The bureau is sometimes translated in English as City Urban Administrative Enforcement Bureau or City Urban Management Enforcement Bureau.
Contents |
The Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau was established in 2001/2002 for all major cities in mainland China to improve municipal governance as cities become more crowded and urban issues became more complex.[3]
The bureaus' officials are responsible for cracking down on unlicensed street vendors. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, "Ever since the agency came into existence 10 years ago, there have been repeated criticism of them using excessive force. This para-police force, equipped with steel helmets and stab-proof vests, is often used by local officials as trouble-shooters".[4]
In general the Chengguan serve as an official agency employed by cities across China "to tackle low-level crime."[5] However, the agency is widely disliked by the Chinese due to their alleged abuses of power.[5]
Chengguan have been involved in several high-profile cases that highlighted public discontent towards a perceived abuse of power by Chengguan. One high profile case involved Cui Yingjie, who killed a Chengguan in 2006 after a confrontation in Beijing. Public support for Cui Yingjie before and during the trial may have affected the leniency shown to Cui, who received a commuted death sentence.
Following an incident in Tianmen City (天门市), Hubei province in January 2008 in which the manager of a construction company, Wei Wenhua[6], was beaten to death for filming the actions of the Chengguan in a local dispute over rubbish dumping, nationwide calls were made to abolish the unit. Thousands of messages were posted over the Internet and protests took place in Hubei province. According to sources, some Chengguan officials have connections to organized crime. Chinese netizens compared Wei with Zhou Zhenglong, the protagonist in a South China Tiger photo incident. They commented, "Zhou filmed a tiger, he was alive; Wei filmed City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau officers, he was dead. What does this suggest? City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau officers are fiercer than the tiger!"[7]
Time magazine reports that beatings by chengguan officers have become such commonplace news that, "The word chengguan has even taken on an alternate meaning in Chinese. "Don't be too chengguan" is an appeal not to bully or terrorize. In other words, chengguan has literally become synonymous with violence."[8]
The bureau is usually structured along two offices and six departments.[2] [9][10]
| Office/Dept | Chinese | Functions |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Office | 办公室 bàngōng shì |
formulating annual work plan, conclusion and meeting documentation, examining and approving various files and documents issued by the Bureau Controlling the financial and assets management Security and administrative affairs Human Resources |
| Comprehensive Management Department | 综合管理处 zōnghé guǎnlǐ chù |
planning organizing liaising with county, city, district level departments |
| City Appearance Management Department | 市容管理处 shìróng guǎnlǐ chù |
supervise city appearance, street building, street scene appearance street signs, booths, stalls, motor vehicle carparks |
| Enforcement Management Department | 执法管理处 zhífǎ guǎnlǐ chù |
Municipal enforcement issuing of fines and penalties enforcement of local regulations and bylaws, settlement of municipal disputes |
| Legal Department | 法制处 fǎ zhì chù |
Take charge in drawing rules and regulation to urban management Assist city planners with legal framework and planning Hearing, review and administrative litigation of administrative case |
| Information Department | 信息处 xìnxī chù |
Public communications about urban policies inform community in regards to urban projects, regulations, policies and strategic vision. |
| Outdoor Advertisement Management Department | 户外广告管理处 hùwài guǎnggào guǎnlǐ chù |
set policy, regulation and standards for outdoor advertisement, neon light, electronic screen wall and lamp box |
| Supervision Office | 监察室 jiānchá shì |
Supervise bureau officials, regulate conduct of public servants investigating, verifying and resolution, appeal, prosecution and impeachment of officials. |
|
|||||||||||