Chengguan (agency)

Chengguan (, short for ) is an administrative practice of city-level local governments in China to oversee and manage city appearance and public environments according to the region's bylaws. Chengguan are non-sworn civil agencies and are not entitled police powers.

Although varied by region, the responsibilities of Chengguan are usually to maintain urban management order, sanitary environment and city appearance, and carry out urban management by law enforcement, environmental protection supervision and other work.

According to an order from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in 2017, the scope of administrative penalties for urban management enforcement has been strictly limited to those specified in the laws, regulations, and rules related to the housing and urban-rural construction sector, as well as the administrative penalties related to environmental protection management, business administration, traffic management, water affairs management, and areas of food and drug supervision that pertain to urban management.

History
Chengguan were established in 2001/2002 for major cities in China to improve municipal governance as cities become more crowded and urban issues became more complex.

Criticism
Chengguan are responsible for cracking down on unlicensed street vendors. According to the BBC, "Ever since the agency came into existence 10 years ago, there have been repeated criticism of them using excessive force. This de facto para-police bureau, equipped with steel helmets and stab-proof vests, is often used by local officials as trouble shooters".

In general the Chengguan serve as a civil agency employed by cities across China "to tackle low-level illegal behaviors". The public widely dislike the Chengguan due to their abuses of power, as highlighted in their involvement in several high-profile cases. One 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.

Nationwide calls to abolish the unit followed the death of Wei Wenhua, the manager of a construction company who was beaten to death in Tianmen City, Hubei province in January 2008 for filming the actions of the Chengguan in a local dispute over rubbish dumping. Thousands of messages were posted over the Internet and protests took place in Hubei province. Some Chengguan employees have connections to organized crime.

A 2012 report by Human Rights Watch documents Chengguan abuses, "including assaults on suspected administrative law violators, some of which lead to serious injury or death, illegal detention, and unlawful forceful confiscation of property".

There were multiple cases in 2011 and 2012 throughout China where sworn police officers were attacked by groups of Chengguan employees when the police officers were responding to reported incidents of Chengguan's use of violence and abuse.

In 2012, the Chengguan agency in Wuhan announced formation of an internal 'militia' or paramilitary-type division.

In 2013, a watermelon seller, Deng Zhengjia, was reported to have been beaten to death with his own scales by Chengguan. His body was protected by people on the street to prevent authorities from seizing it and to "preserve evidence." Violence ensued. Prominent microbloggers have called for the end to what has been termed a "thuggish" organization.

In 2014, a man filming the Chengguan abusing a female street vendor was brutally beaten with a hammer until he was vomiting blood. He was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. The five Chengguan officers were severely beaten, and four confirmed dead later, with pictures posted on Sina Weibo.

In popular culture
As a result of its notorious reputation, the Chengguan has become a popular target of jokes and internet memes.

Time magazine reported that beatings by Chengguan employees have become such commonplace news that "'Chengguan' has even taken on an alternate meaning in Chinese. 'Don't be too Chengguan' is an appeal not to bully or terrorize". "The Chengguan is coming!", a phrase often shouted out by illegal street vendors to warn others to run away in case of a Chengguan inspection, has become a famous Chinese Internet punch line.

There are also satirical jokes of the Chengguan actually being China's secret strategic reserves, the "fifth branch of the PLA", because of their capability to cause "mass destruction". Punch lines such as "Give me 300 Chengguan, I will conquer..." and "China has pledged not to be the first to use Chengguan at any time or under any circumstances in order to keep world peace and stability" have gone viral among Chinese netizens.

Administrative structure
The bureau is usually structured along two offices and six departments.
 * Administrative Office
 * Comprehensive Management Department
 * City Appearance Management Department
 * Enforcement Management Department
 * Legal Department
 * Information Department
 * Outdoor Advertisement Management Department
 * Supervision Office