EDITOR'S LETTER

Crime Time

The smog chokes us, the traff i c chases us, and the food kills us, but we here in Beijing are pretty safe from serious crime. That being said, China, just like everywhere else in the world, has its problems with those who fl out society's laws, from cunning street hustlers, to drug peddling websites, right through to gruesome murderers. This issue studies modern crime and some of China's most famous lawbreakers, a look into China's underbelly and the gray area that is legality.

The old adage “if it bleeds it leads” is perhaps a cruel but honest explanation of the emphasis on crime in the media in a broader sense. However, behind both the victims and the perpetrators are the police. Ginger Huang brings us “Super Cops” (see page 28) to take a look at some of China's most impressive police off i cers, tales of derring-do and good old fashioned deductive reasoning.

The online sale of narcotics, their analogues, and designer chemicals in China has moved the war against drugs off the streets and onto the click of a mouse and touch of a screen. China's legislation has trouble keeping up with all the designer drugs, and this growing industry of online drug dealing is a booming trade with little to stand in its way. In “China's Online Drug Bazaar” (see page 36) Carlos Ottery looks at how the drugs make their way from the webpage to your front door and how it's changing the face of narcotics in the modern Middle Kingdom.

Li Hao (李浩), Wu Jianchen (吳建臣), Li Shangxi (李尚熙), Yang Mingjin (楊名金), Li Shangkun (李尚昆), Peng Miaoji (彭妙計(jì)), Yang Shubin (楊樹彬)—all Chinese serial killers. These brutal, callous murderers are infamous for their brutal victimization of innocents throughout the nation, but what is perhaps more interesting is how these killers and their atrocities are treated by the authorities and the media. Robert Foyle Hunwick brings us “The Beast is Red” (see page 42), which looks at the culture surrounding serial killers in China.

The kidnapping of a child is perhaps the cruelest of all crimes. Today in China, there are tens of thousands of child kidnappings every year, and the traff i cking of young children shows no signs of abating. Charlie Custer explains the ins-and-outs of child traff i cking and the destroyed lives it leaves behind, “Stolen Childhoods” (see page 48).

If you're still in the mood for some criminally good entertainment, check out this issue's On the Character (see page 92), which looks at 罪 and the sordid history of crime and punishment in ancient China. If your tastes run a little more macabre, head on over to Made in China (see page 24) which looks at the ancient and mystical practice of corpse walking. If you've lost your taste for all things illegal, then have a feast for the eyes over at Kaleidoscope (see page 18), which looks at one of the most ancient apartment blocks in China. You'd better look now; it'll be gone soon. Gallery (see page 60)'s got some beach shots that'll make you appreciate your vacation more, but check out On the Road (see page 64) if your holidays hinge on the harrowing.

So, with all this crime and culture in mind, from all of us here atTWOC, stay safe.

Managing Editor

Tyler Roney