My Encounter with the Beijing Police

As I was about to join the line to view the stuffed body of former Chairman Mao, I was quickly halted by a Beijing cop dressed head-to-toe in an army-green coat. He pointed wildly to my shoulder bag, indicating that I couldn’t take it in the mausoleum with me. As he escorted me to the checkroom, he asked in his best English if I was an American and I confirmed. He was very curious as to why I was visiting China and was quite pleased find out that I was there to learn more about his country. After our brief conversation, he seized my hand and ran me across the street to the checkroom station, darting through crowds of people and traffic in the process (it was pretty funny that I (clearly a foreigner) was holding hands with a local cop and running across Tiananmen Square; we received many strange looks). Once we arrived, he made sure that I had my wallet and guidebook and that I didn’t take my camera with me. After I received my ticket (for my belongings), he once again grabbed my hand and ran me back to the center of Tiananmen Square to join the line for the mausoleum. I thanked him graciously for his efforts and as we said our goodbyes, he kindly demanded 5 Yuan for his services. Since he was so nice and caring (and because he was a cop and I wasn’t trying to go to jail), I handed over the Yuan and chuckled quietly to myself as he walked away. Ah, the Beijing police force – cool but crooked as hell.