Gangs were running the city, in collusion with the police force

Gangs were running the city, in collusion with the police force, and that every small business was liable to be called on for protection money.We were told endless tales about the prostitution, the trade in crystal meth, and about illegal casinos, both in the city and in the countryside. One source told us he had witnessed a gun battle when a rival gang raided a rural casino and stole 500,000 yuan (£50,000), which was the sum of just one day’s take even though the casino was in the middle of nowhere.Wang Li, professor of law at Southwest University, suggested that the emergence of the gangs had much to do with the urbanisation of Chongqing. Since 1997, farmers have been able to sell their land and move to the city, only to be faced with a lack of jobs. The reform of state-owned companies also led to a wave of layoffs, “a perfect combination for gangster activities,” according to Mr Wang.Despite the recent arrival of the gangs, they were pretty sophisticated organisations, often taking over specific industries such as construction or automotive parts. In addition, according to Mr Wang, the gangs were “hidden” inside normal businesses, with a few heavies per department.The effect of the police operation on the city has been dramatic. The restaurant and entertainment industries are suffering badly. “Most of the professionals involved in gambling and prostitution have run off to Guangdong,” added Mr Wang.The question now is how Beijing views the crackdown. Bo Xilai, the governor, is hoping his success will catapult him to the highest levels, but there hasn’t been much praise for him in the national press.Sidney Rittenberg, the octogenerian who has more experience of China than anyone else, having been close to Mao in the 1940s before being purged and imprisoned for 16 years, says he thinks the campaign is just the tip of the iceberg and will be rolled out to other cities.“Bo Xilai is one of the most vigorous, results-oriented, and capable among the middle generation of leaders. Given his record of fighting crime in Liaoning, I can hardly believe that sending him to goon-controlled Chongqing was accidental,” he says.“The CPC Central Organisation Department, under the up-and-coming Li Yuanchao, generally has a definite aim and specific qualifications in mind when they nominate a top-echelon figure for a local position.“Beating back the worst of the large-scale corruption is an absolute necessity for China’s ruling party. Without that, the Party centre has great difficulty enforcing its decisions with local governments, and it cannot possibly project ideals that capture the imagination of China’s youth and sustain effective Party leadership during times of economic trials.”However, neither Mr Wang nor Chen Xiaohua, a local lawyer who is likely to defend some of the gangsters in court, believe that the experience in Chongqing will lead to large-scale operations elsewhere. Both were of the opinion that Beijing doesn’t have enough control to truly suppress the gangs, especially in cities such as Guangzhou.“From the point of view of the legal system, however, we would prefer it if the activities of the police would be a bit more constant rather than a specific one-off event,” said Mr Chen.“There have been a lot of grey areas as China developed, where people have pursued their own interests and formed illegal cells. This problem is broad and extensive. The best case is if local politicians draw on the experience here to give them courage in their own cities in the future,” said Mr Chen, without much optimism.