Chengguan cleaning up (from Southern Metropolis Daily)

It appears that Guangzhou is about to get serious when it comes to cleaning up the streets. Anybody who’s walked through the city has likely tripped over trinkets splayed out on sidewalks, as well as sprawling shops and restaurants which seem to swallow up the available sidewalk space. But that could all be coming to an end.

This is a translation from this story in the Southern Metropolis Daily:

Although chaotic hawking is a long-standing phenomenon in most Chinese cities, Guangzhou has decided it won’t let it continue as it always has.

From 8 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, Guangzhou’s Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau sent more than 5,000 officials, commonly known as chengguan, to crack down on unlicensed street vendors all over the city in about 230 forbidden areas.

Determined to fix the street selling business, the bureau is adopting a “zero tolerance” policy and is trying to rid the streets of all illegal hawking according to law. This special action will last until early October.

The law enforcement officials will write an inquisition notice to unlicensed vendors requiring them to report to a designated place in 15 working days and go through an investigation. A maximum of RMB2,000 could be issued in a fine.

In addition, temporarily detained items and goods during the crackdown will be kept for a limited period of 150 days, while those over 150 days will be handed over to the finance bureau for auctions.

As of 9 p.m. last night, a porridge restaurant around Haizhu Square was spotted by officials. The restaurant occupied most of the sidewalk with tables and chairs, with a width of less than one meter for passers-by.

According to law enforcement officials, this porridge restaurant has been fined five times in the past two years. Some of its tables and chairs and other operation hardware were sold in the latest action.