On the afternoon of September 24, a residential building at 1316 Zhonghua Road in the old town of Huangpu District, Shanghai was illegally demolished. The property belongs to Tang Guoliang, a retired police officer who was responsible for maintaining stability in the neighborhood before his retirement.
Tang Guoliang, a retired police officer from the Xidongmen Police Station of the Huangpu District Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, saw his house being illegally and indiscriminately demolished on the afternoon of September 24. On that day, Tang and his wife were detained, and their house was subsequently demolished. Tang had been in charge of maintaining stability in the neighborhood before his retirement, overseeing community visits.
Recently, Tang Guoliang shared his account of the forced demolition of his house on WeChat. The demolition process had started as early as the evening of December 16, 2024. That night, more than ten people from the Third Acquisition Office heavily guarded his home. Tang’s wife, sensing danger, began moving valuables out of the house and noticed three individuals tracking her near the Wenzhen Road intersection. She called her husband for help, prompting Tang Guoliang to report the situation to the police and file a case at the Laoshimen Police Station. Even on the way to their daughter’s house, two people continued to follow them.
The following day, over ten individuals continued surveillance outside Tang’s house, and female staff from the Third Acquisition Office harassed his daughter at her home. According to Tang’s account, upon his wife’s agreement with her workplace to sign an agreement for dismissal on May 15, 2025, their monitoring intensified.
Tang Guoliang expressed his dismay, revealing that despite raising concerns about his daughter’s dismissal, the responsible authorities denied involvement. Promises of investigation by the district’s relocation office director and the housing bureau chief failed to materialize as the demolition proceeded. On September 24, 2025, while Tang was away, his wife fell victim to a deceptive ploy orchestrated by the Third Acquisition Office, with dozens of individuals storming their residence.
Tang and his wife were then confined in a hotel under heavy security personnel. Tang emphasized the forceful nature of the eviction and highlighted the presence of several aggressive women involved in the process, likely dispatched from outside sources.
Shanghai human rights activist Song Jiahong noted that the forced relocation of Tang’s family violated governmental guidelines that stipulate returning properties in the same vicinity and providing suitable resettlement options. Song criticized the relocation of Tang’s house to areas far from the city center, raising concerns about the lack of local authorities’ willingness to address such issues.
Moreover, Song claimed that Shanghai’s acquisition practices are premeditated acts of governmental overreach, neglecting human rights and private property considerations. He underscored the failure of Tang’s family to seek administrative review or pursue legal action following the compensation decision.
Another human rights activist, Yu Zhonghuan, shared that Tang Guoliang’s decision to forego administrative review and legal action was due to his perception of the local authorities engaging in coercive practices without accountability or morality.
Yu emphasized that the experience of Tang, a retired police officer, serves as a cautionary tale against complacency within the system or presuming immunity from authoritarian actions that directly affect individuals’ interests. In the eyes of the powerful, one remains insignificant unless in alignment with their interests, reiterating the ever-present threat of abuse of power and injustice.