Shanghai Building Collapses

Source: China Daily

A 13-floor apartment building under construction collapsed Saturday morning in Shanghai, killing one worker.

Witnesses said the whole building started to fall down at about 5:30 am on Saturday and a 28-year-old worker surnamed Xiao from Anhui province was buried in the collapse and killed, the Xinhua news agency reported. No other casualties are reported.

Zhang Supong, a witness across a river to the collapsed building, said his family and neighbors were shocked when they felt the earth shake in the morning.

"It was just like an earthquake," he told China Daily, adding there was no visual damage in his apartment.

The authorities have ordered suspension of the construction and a thorough investigation of the collapse.

A man, who is in his 30s and declined to be named, told China Daily that he just bought an apartment beside the collapse building and with this accident, he would terminate the contract with the property developers.

The apartment building is at a premium location in Shanghai, about five metro stops from downtown areas, and is sold at a price of 18,000 yuan per sq m.

Local media reported on Friday that some cracks appeared on the anti-flood bank near the collapsed building, but the cause of the cracks was also uncertain.

A) This is what happens when you cut corners (literally)
B) This is what happens when your building is 13 floors. It should have only been 8 floors.

A practical handbook for beating street vendors

Source: Danwei

Why are chengguan so brutal?

City administration enforcement squads (城管) have an abysmal reputation. Tasked with checking permits and keeping street vendors from setting up unlicensed stalls, their methods frequently result in violent altercations that sometimes land rule-breakers in the hospital or morgue. In the ongoing debate over how to pull these squads into line, chengguan are often depicted as uneducated, short-tempered brutes who don't know any better.

However, a textbook that has been the focus of considerable online attention over the past few days suggests that chengguan are being taught to use violence in certain situations when carrying out their duties. An article in today's Southern Metropolis Daily discusses the online controversy and speaks to the Nanjing-based chengguan who first posted images from the book online ..... more

This is typical in China. If you're a somebody the law is in your favour. If you're a nobody then the law is against you. The official handbook is just a cover.