If you’ve been following Chinese social media these past few days, you are well aware that in Tangshan nine men brutally beat four women, while bystanders watched. Chinese social media has questioned police response, the bystander mentality of Chinese public culture, and the lack of media reporting on the event. One of the more interesting responses to the event is a chat transcript from some anonymous and unidentified chat group currently circulating. The main speaker is a man posting under the avatar song sir, interacting with several other group members. In the transcript, song sir analyzes what the attack and how it was handled tells us about Mafia activities in Tangshan. And yes, by implication, the scandal goes all the way to Beijing, which is actually just next door. The story is soapy and distressing and rings true. Or at least the story hits the right notes in the build-up to the 20th National Congress. And also yes, as you read the transcript, you can’t help but wonder: what’s song sir’s stake in this drama? Who’s side is he on? Anyway, more to the point (and in keeping with song sir’s use of rhetorical questions to make nasty insinuations); who would know so much about the case and talk about it in a group chat that can be saved and circulated as a chat transcript? Seriously, who does this?

I’m calling my translation of the transcript, “Everybody Understands…”

Everybody Understands

song sir: Everyone understands.. Strengthening anti-corruption efforts will firstly, win the hearts and minds of the people, secondly allow for allies to be appointed, and thirdly be profitable. The Maybach in Tangshan was from Dainan, China.. The car owner opened a casino in Dainan. He came to Tangshan to contact the local community and expand the casino business. Four Jiangsu people (from Dainan) went to Tangshan to meet up with their friends (who they had met in prison) and plan how to do the casino business together. The Tangshan brothers invited the Dainan brothers to a late night snack.. The tragedy occurred.. That same night, the nine individuals were caught by the police (the police were dispatched within ten minutes). 大家懂了吧。。加大反腐力度，一是可以搞定民心，一是可以安插自己人，一是有收益。唐山的迈巴赫是中国戴南的。。车主是戴南开赌场的，来唐山找当地和社会联络，扩大赌场生意。四个江苏人（戴南的）前往唐山，找自己的哥们（坐牢认识），一起谋划怎么搞赌场生意。唐山的哥们请戴南的兄弟晚上宵夜。。下边就悲剧了。。当晚这九个人就被公安抓了（公安十分钟之内出警）。

疯行天下：Weren’t they arrested the following day? 不是第二天才抓到的吗？

song sir：Nine people should have been arrested that night. Then the protection umbrella appeared.. Consequently, both sides were “harmonized.” The police treated the matter as an ordinary fight, letting them go after after criticism and education.. An ordinary fight, harmony between the two sides, criticism and education. In fact, it was “very good” for the victims.. The police good to both sides. Then, someone put the video online.. No-one could control the public opinion that resulted. So they were arrested again. .. Otherwise, the police arrived at the scene within ten minutes, but they couldn’t catch 9 people. How could the police report have been written? 当晚应当是九个人都被抓了。这时候保护伞出现了。。所以，双方“和谐”。警方当作一般打架事件处理，批评教育之后放人。。一般打架，双方和谐，批评教育。其实，对受害人来说，“挺不错的”。。警方两边做好人。然后，有人把这个录像上网了。。已发了谁也控制不住的舆情。然后重新抓呗。。不然，警方十分钟赶到现场，居然抓不到9个人，公安的出警记录怎么写呢？

A_空、气：This is what happened. I heard the local recording, and it happened like this. 是这样的。我听当地群聊录音也是这样说的。

song sir：Therefore, whoever put the video online, wasn’t an ordinary person.. Because, the police came, and these videos were evidence.. Who’s holding the evidence.. If the police come to take care of a public disturbance and don’t collect the security videos, would we call them professionals? 所以，这个把录像放到网上的人，不简单了。。因为，公安来了，这些视频都是证据啊。证据会在谁手里呢。。假如，公安来处理这个治安事件，不收走监控视频，请问专业吗？

疯行天下：It seems you’re saying that Uncle Policeman couldn’t stand for it, after releasing those animals, he found a reporter to expose the truth. 好像说是警察叔叔看不下去，放了这帮没人性的畜生，然后找记者爆光了。

song sir：Fengxing, you are so smart.. Obviously, this was passed on by people inside the Public Security Bureau. Of course, the idiot released it under his own name. Anyway, the police controlled the scene within ten minutes. There are two reasons why we could see the surveillance video.. Either, the police acted unprofessionally and didn’t collect the surveillance video.. Or, it’s like what I said above, right? 风行，你真聪明。。很显然，这个是公安内部的人传上去的，当然傻b采用自己的名字传。所以，公安十分钟内出警控制现场，为何我们可以看见监控视频，两个原因。。一是，公安不专业，连监控录像都不提取。。一是，我上边讲的，对不？

Now, the Chief of Police couldn’t join the anti-Mafia office. Is Tangshan closed off to any outside regulation? Everyone was confused by why the Police Chief [Zhao Jinjin] who had transferred in from Langfang couldn’t get into the Tangshan anti-Mafia office.. If it were you, what would you think?.. It’s so corrupt that even police on the force can’t see what’s happening. When the Chief transferred from Langfang to Tangshan, he couldn’t join the anti-Mafia office. This brother was parachuted in from above. Can’t you see? Therefore, he had to ask the provincial public security department for help. For such a small public security case, he also brought in police from outside the city.. Letting his previous subordinates handle the case.. 现在公安局长，进不了大黑办。。唐山，是不是水泼不进呢。。大家想，一个廊坊调来的公安局长，居然进不了唐山的大黑综合治理办公室。。如果是你，你怎么想？。。这么黑，连内部的民警都看不过去了。廊坊的局长，掉到唐山，进不了大黑办。这个兄弟就是被挂在上边，看不出来吗？所以，他只好请省公安厅协调，这么小的治安案件，也异地出警。。让自己的老下属，来办案。。

[Tangshan is located east of Tianjin, while Langfang separates Tianjin and Beijing in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. One of the unspoken points of this story is that the anti-Mafia campaign is happening in the area adjacent to Beijing. Moreover, positions in Tangshan and Langfang are launchpads for higher office in the capital. To be transferred from Langfang to Tangshan is a lateral move, not a promotion. See map below:

song sir: Therefore, the Chief from Langfang must be a sword sharpened over ten years, he can endure and has a long-term plan.. So he still had connections in Langfang, and that’s where he went for help [more here in Chinese]. Tangshan’s protective umbrella is out of control.. If you were an umbrella, of course you would be pro-Mafia. Is that strange? A Police Chief from elsewhere was parachuted in, dangling for a year, obfuscated by local forces. As head public security bureau, he couldn’t even get a seat in the comprehensive management office to fight the Mafia.. Local forces, of course, knew that the Police Chief would fight back. They were in a fight to the death. This Police Chief was a pioneer in the national anti-Mafia campaign. Langfang anti-Mafia ranked first in Hebei Province [under Zhao Jinjin]. Now the public security branch handling cases in another place is the first branch in Hebei.所以，这个廊坊局长，是不是十年磨一剑，能忍，有韬略呢。。现在，人控制在廊坊，就随便招吧。唐山的保护伞控制不住了。。假如你是保护伞，你当然要黑，奇怪吗？一个外地来的局长，被挂起来整整一年，被当地势力集体抵制，作为公安局站进不了打黑综合治理办公室。。当地势力，当然知道局长会反扑，早就你死我活了吧。这个局长，是全国反黑的先锋，廊坊扫黑在河北省排名第一，现在异地办案的公安分局是河北第一分局。

疯行天下：That he’s still around means that this Chief has a strong fate? Is that what you’re saying? 没灭了这个局长算命大吧？是这样吗？

song sir：Therefore, this brother endured for a year, looking for way to deal with these local forces.. Of course, he was lucky that it didn’t kill him.. There is so much content behind a simple public security case.. It was unexpected. Now, a large number of hand-held ID card reports have been submitted, completely opening the lid off Tangshan. Of course, it’s taking aim at the big tiger. Specifically, it’s Secretary Zhang Gujiang who in April just left the position of Tangshan General Secretary to take up the post of Vice Chairman of the Hebei CPPCC. In other words, Tangshan is so corrupt. What’s not clear? Who has the author to prevent the Police Chief from being appointed to the anti Mafia office.. Isn’t it no other than Zhang Gujiang? 所以，这个兄弟忍了一年，看怎么收拾这些地方势力吧。。当然，是没灭了他，算他走运。。一个简单的治安案件，后边有这么多的内容。。让人始料不及。现在，一大堆的手持身份证举报，唐山的盖子彻底打开了。当然是剑指升级大老虎，具体就是4月份刚刚卸任的钱唐山书记、现任河北政协副主席张古江。话说，唐山这么黑，作为书委书记的张古江，不清楚吗？是谁有权利不让公安局长进打黑办呢。。不就是这个张古江吗？

A_空、气：This is the real thing, in the name of the people. 这是现实版，人民的名义啊。

song sir：Have you ever seen an example in which the Police Chief was denied a position in the anti-Mafia office?.. So, it’s obvious which card Zhang Gujiang is playing, right? After the event, there are two possibilities. One is to find someone to sit on the lid. I guess, it’s Zhang Gujiang’s ass that’s keeping the lid tight and preventing Tangshan from festering.各位有见过公安局长不进打黑办的例子吗？。。所以这个张古江基本在打明的牌，对不？出事之后，有两个方法。一是，找个人用屁股把盖子坐住。张古江，估计就是来坐住这个盖子，不让唐山继续溃烂吧。

留墨：Zhang Gujiang’s root is in Chengde [which is just north of Beijing]. He was only in Tangshan for two years and didn’t do anything. 张古江根基在承德，在唐山也就两年，干不了哈。

song sir：Tangshan is corrupt, and the lid has already come off.. Someone higher up must have had him sit on the lid to keep it in place.. Now you understand? The new Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee [Ni Yuefeng 倪岳峰] obviously saw it, so Zhang Gujiang retired ahead of schedule, before finishing his term of office. 唐山腐败，本来盖子已经揭开了。。张古江，就是上边的人让他来坐住这个盖子的。。现在懂了吗？新任的省委书记显然看出来了，所以张古江没有完成他的任期，也没到退休，就提前退了啊。

疯行天下：Money and power at the top working together? 上边金钱与权利勾兑？

song sir：If the top wasn’t involved, would Tangshan be such a mess? The administration before Zhang Gujiang was completely rotten. At that time, Hebei Province wanted to cut their losses, so Zhang Gujiang, then Vice Governor, was asked to sit on the lid and control Tangshan’s anti-corruption within a certain range, at least limiting it to Hebei Province. Therefore, Zhang Gujiang refused to let the Tangshan Police Chief join the anti-Mafia office, that is, he refused to let the people from Langfang continue their investigation.. Why was the Police Chief from Langfang willing to be transferred to Tangshan to sit in the hot seat (unable to enter the local anti Mafia Office)? Obviously, he was willing to go only because a higher up asked him to go. 没有上边，唐山会这么乱吗？张古江前边的班子，彻底烂掉了。当时的河北省想止损，所以请时任副省长的张古江去坐住这个盖子，把唐山反腐控制在一定范围内，至少河北省可控。所以，张古江不让唐山公安局长进打黑办，就是不让这个廊坊来的人继续查。。这个廊坊来的局长，为何又愿意平调到唐山，来当这个烫手的局长（进不了当地的打黑办）呢？显然，后边有大领导让他去的，他才愿意去。

刘墨：Who transferred our friend from Langfang? What was the purpose? 谁调廊坊的哥们过来的😊，想干啥？

song sir：How deep is the water, everybody consider. Here’s the thing, if you’ve been successful in Langfang, then you go directly to the Ministry of Public Security to a provincial department. Why would you ever end up in Tangshan? 。。这个水，深不深，大家想一想呗。对啊，你廊坊功成名就，直接去公安部，或者去省厅，来唐山做什么呢。。

刘墨：And directly deploying police from somewhere else requires support from a higher level. 直接异地用警，这也得更高一级的支持。

song sir：Similarly, is the Zhulu County Party Secretary, directly connected to the Zhangjiakou Standing Committee and the mayor? How could they show up in Tangshan to resolve problems with the the Standing Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission? 类似，你逐鹿县县委书记，直接接张家口常委、市长啊？怎么跑到唐山来解决常委、当政法委书记呢？

刘墨：Zhang Gujiang isn’t important. It was a transition, only two years. I suspect his administration didn’t even come together. 张古江不算啥，过度的，才两年，估计班子都没正顺。

song sir：Zhulu is under Zhangjiakou County. But the Langfang Police Chief was transferred to Tangshan, which was just a lateral transfer.. So, obviously, it’s part of a larger game of chess..逐鹿，是张家口下边的县啊。廊坊公安局长调任唐山，只是平调啊。。所以，很显然，这些都是一盘很大的棋。。

猪猪侠：Insider, you see clearly. 内行啊，看得很透👍

song sir：Zhang Gujiang retired to the second tier ahead of schedule and wasn’t appointed Governor of Hebei Province.. Experienced people know that prison is waiting for him.. When Zhang Gujiang came to Langfang, he didn’t want to make waves. He wanted to develop steadily and become governor of Hebei Province. He asked for stability and quiet, so he took a appeasement attitude towards local forces in Tangshan.. 张古江是提前退居二线了啊。没有接上河北省长啊。。他没有接上河北省长，有经验的人都知道，等待他的估计就是牢房。。张古江来廊坊，就是不想搞事，拍稳发展，接上河北省长。他要求稳、求安静，所以对唐山地方势力采取绥靖的心态。。

Zhanggujiang was born in 1963. This was his last chance to be provincial governor. Now, to be vice-chairman of the CPPCC is the precursor to political collapse. Zhang’s experience is representative of local power in Hebei. Zhang Gujiang was the executive vice minister of Hubei Organization Department.. If you’re in the political system, you won’t ever meet the Human Resources Director of the Standing Committee, executive vice minister or the operating manager of the Human Resourses department. Therefore, people who hold these posts are usually local bosses.. Provincial Party secretaries from outside have to respect and love them.. 张古江63年的。他最后一次机会，就是接上省长。现在，弄个政协副主席，就是政治上垮台的前凑。张是河北本土势力的代表。张古江很早就是湖北组织部的常务副部长。。你要跑官，一般接触不上常委组织部长，常务副部长实际运营组织部。所以，这种地方的人，一般是本土大佬。。外来的省委书记，都要敬爱他三分。。

[Below is a list of attendees at a meeting of the anti-Mafia office. Zhang Jinjin, our friend from Langfang is noticeably absent.]

On June 8, the city (Tangshan) held a meeting of the city’s leading group for the fight against the Mafia. Lai Guangpu, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, and leader of the city’s leading group for the fight against Mafia presided over the meeting and delivered a speech. Niu Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party leading group and President of the Municipal People’s Court, and deputy leader of the municipal anti Mafia leading group; Jia Zhihong, Secretary of the Party leading group and Chief Procurator of the Municipal People’s Procuratorate, and Deputy leader of the Municipal Leading Group for the eradication of criminal syndicates; Zhang Huide, Municipal level II inspector, deputy leader and office director of the municipal anti-Mafia leading group; Zhao Mingge, Deputy Director of the Organization Department of the Municipal Party committee, first-class researcher, and deputy leader of the municipal anti Mafia leading group; Hou Xiling, Secretary of the Party leading group and director general of the Municipal Bureau of Justice, and deputy leader of the municipal anti Mafia leading group, attended the meeting.6月8日，我市（唐山）召开全市扫黑除恶斗争领导小组会议，市委常委、政法委书记，市扫黑除恶领导小组组长来广普主持会议并讲话。市法院党组书记、院长，市扫黑除恶领导小组副组长牛向阳；市检察院党组书记、检察长，市扫黑除恶领导小组副组长贾志宏；市二级巡视员、市扫黑除恶领导小组副组长兼办公室主任张惠德；市委组织部副部长、一级调研员，市扫黑除恶领导小组副组长赵明阁；市司法局党组书记、局长，市扫黑除恶领导小组副组长侯西岭出席会议。

留墨：Zhang He, former Secretary of Tangshan Municipal Party Committee, and Gao Jianmin, former Mayor of Tangshan were both jailed. 唐山原市委书记张和，原市长高建民都进去了。

song sir：Did you see that Zhao Jinjin, Vice mayor of Tangshan and Chief of Police is not a member of the anti Mafia office 😊 大家看到没，唐山副市长、公安局长赵晋进，居然不是打黑办成员😊

[What follows is a list of who has participated in anti-Mafia meetings in other counties and cities, demonstrating that the anti-Mafia office in Tangshan is noticeably out of order and making the rhetorical point that Tangshan is seriously corrupt. The implication is that this was only possible because Zhang Gujiang sat on the issue (kept the lid on) at the behest of someone higher up. And it’s just all so close to Beijing… So inquiring minds want to know, who’s involved in the fight? Moreover, the leaking of these kinds of stories just before the 20th national congress are assumed to be part of the struggle at the top.]

The plenary session of the city’s (Huai’an) leading group for the fight against organized crime and the promotion meeting for the publicity and implementation of the anti organized crime law was held. Zhou Qing, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Municipal Party committee, and leader of the municipal anti-Mafia leading group, and Zhao Lihong, Vice Mayor, Chief of Police, and Deputy Leader of the municipal anti Mafia leading group attended the meeting. You can see who’s in charge of the anti Mafia office in other cities. 全市（淮安）扫黑除恶斗争领导小组全体会议暨《反有组织犯罪法》宣传贯彻推进会召开。市委常委、市委政法委书记、市扫黑除恶斗争领导小组组长周青，副市长、市公安局局长、市扫黑除恶斗争领导小组副组长赵立宏参加会议。看明白别的城市打黑办是谁在主持工作了吧。

On June 9, our county held the second meeting of the leading group for the fight against Mafia. Gao Hui, member of the Standing Committee of the County Party committee and Secretary of the political and Legal Affairs Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Wang Yanjun, Deputy County Head of the county government and Chief of Police, presided over the meeting. On May 26, the 2nd plenary meeting of the leading group of the anti Mafia of Pingliang Public Security Bureau and the promotion meeting of the key work of the anti Mafia in 2022 were held. Kou Zhengde, Vice Mayor, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chief of Police attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Therefore, when things go wrong, there must be monsters.. And now you understand. 6月9日,我县召开扫黑除恶斗争领导小组第二次会议,县委常委、政法委书记高辉出席会议并讲话,县政府副县长、公安局局长王燕军主持会议。5月26日，平凉市公安局扫黑除恶斗争领导小组第2次全体会议暨2022年扫黑除恶斗争重点工作推进会召开。副市长、市公安局党委书记、局长寇正德出席会议并讲话。所以，事出反常必有妖怪。。懂了不。