Watching The Detectives
Oct 19, 2010
Now what's your image of a Private Eye or detective? The very English Sherlock Holmes, or perhaps the American Philip Marlowe, maybe Belgium's Hercule Poirot - or even Chinese American Charlie Chan? But these fictional characters all come from a different age. What about in today's modern China. Well recently the profession was under the spotlight when two private detectives were accused in Beijing court of illegally obtaining personal information. But is it even a profession? In China there is no legal definition for a private detective so they then to operate in a grey area. And the fact that much of their work involves spying on errant wives or husbands does nothing for their reputation. So what do ordinary Chinese people think of today's private detectives? Our researcher Aaron Peng went out on the streets of Beijing to find out.
Tags: detective,sherlock holmes,philip marlowe