Knifeless Stores and a Harmonious Society

As mentioned in my last post, the National day is just around the corner. In fact, preparations can be seen everywhere. With under ten days left until parades and other excitement, the city has received a face lift with monument cleaning and decorations on many streets throughout the city. The retired men and women that work as volunteers in the city have received new uniforms, a new subway line is about to open, and a host of new security features are in place.

Since I have been traveling twice weekly to and from Qinhuangdao (a city about two hours east of Beijing by train), I have noticed the security at Beijing Train Station increasing as well. The last time I was there I saw police in full riot gear, SWAT policemen, bomb or drug sniffing dogs, and lots of guns. Granted, they are canister guns probably loaded with rubber bullets or tear gas canisters; it's not so much protection from enemies or shoot to kill, but protection from rioting. Disruptions such as rioting might be China's biggest perceived threat this National Holiday. The train station in Qinhuangdao has also stepped up it's security with a fulltime police guard and stricter checking of bags as they are scanned. I saw two people taken aside when I was coming back on Sunday night. Of course, I haven't seen any guns in Qinhuangdao.

I read about an interesting security measure the other day in a blog. They said that no knives were being sold in any markets. I went to a higher class market (a Japanese chain that doesn't allow bargaining) today to get some kitchen supplies and sure enough, no knives. They had spread out the cutting boards, sharperners and knife holders and racks to fill in the gaps where there were no kitchen knives or cleavers. I asked one of the workers if it was true that they could not sell any knives. She said, that's right, not until after the October holiday. I asked if it was just for the city, or if all of Beijing (including the suburbs were like this too). She said she thought it was for the entire district of Beijing, including the distant suburbs. 

Though a truly impressive measure, I'm not sure it does much to stop anyone except the most unprepared terrorists and dissenters.

I wonder how much things will return to normal after the holiday and how much the restrictions and other things in place were simply measures that China wanted to start imposing, but needed a valid excuse (without worldwide attention, eg the Olympics) in order to pursue them. By this I am refferring not so much to the absence of certain kitchen utensils, but to stricter security policies. The PRC might view policing people coming to and from Beijing, as well as people already in Beijing as important in a developing nation; especially when one considers the disruptions in Tibet (in 2008) and Xinjiang over the past six months. Another security measure that might not disappear after the holiday is internet blocks. Only time will tell if it is for the 60th anniversary or if it is for a more "harmonious society," The PRC's widely proclaimed main objective since the Olympics ended over a year ago.