August 7, 2012
Translated by Zhang Dian

Over recent days, residents of Shenyang, a city in the northeastern province of Liaoning, have been posting images to Weibo of the large number of shuttered shops in the city.

Chinese media has also picked up on the story, with today's Southern Metropolis Daily running a story on Shenyang's shut-up shops.

No, it's not a sign of economic malaise hitting China's rustbelt, but rather it seems that shop owners are hoping to avoid being caught up in a "strike hard" campaign against fake goods being led by the city's police in the run up to next years National Games, which the city will host.

Local media have quoted some shop owners as saying that they would rather shut their stores than be investigated. Other small business owners are saying that they've heard rumors that authorities are not playing by the book - "I heard that if there are any minor problems, people will be detained until a large amount of money is paid."

Some residents have also been complaining about the inconvenience, noting that even more shops are shut right now then during the Spring Festival holiday period.

An anonymous official in Shenyang Industrial and Commercial Bureau (沈阳工商局) told a journalist from the Southern Metropolis Daily that the local public security bureau have taken the lead in the crackdown, but they are also working with other departments.

Links and Sources
Sina Weibo: 沈阳关门
Southern Metropolis Daily: 沈阳等地大量商铺关门歇业 市民称买米都困难