Extra security measures have led to enormous crowds at Beijing's subway system as the city prepares to host the most important political gathering in years.
READ: Beijing Bans Airbnb Bookings, Forces Clubs and Bars to Shut,
and Boosts Security in Advance of 19th Plenum
Numerous photos and video on Chinese social media show queues packed with hundreds of commuters slowly shuffling towards subway entrances.
Security checkpoints throughout the entire Beijing Metro now conduct body searches along with bag and parcel x-ray scan. Some netizens say it now takes two hours to successfully pass through subway security, of which line-ups are particularly long for Line 13.
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The extra-long lines are so long that they stretch onto pedestrian overpasses upon which hundreds of commuters are seen standing.
The overwhelming throng of humanity can be best appreciated in online videos taken at the scene that show people as far as the eye can see in every direction.
The extra security implemented at Beijing subway stations comes along with a whole host of restrictions made for this week's 19th Party Plenum, an event so shrouded in mystery that its official Wednesday date was only publically announced today.
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Amid all these extra security measures, along with added military and police personnel, you'd think Beijing and China at large is a safe place to live, especially as seen from constant reminders from Chinese media.
And yet, Beijing placed 32nd out of 60 international cities on the "Safe Cities Index 2017," the highest-ranked mainland Chinese cities (Hong Kong placed ninth).
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Despite its emphasis on public security, the poor showing of Chinese cities on the list is due to the ways Chinese citizens aren't protected.
Compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the list uses 49 indicators including digital security, health security, and infrastructure security to rank its cities by safety.
This isn't the first time that Beijing residents have had to put up with extra security as the city hosts yet another major event. But, as it is, extra-long queues is the silver lining for this golden prestige.
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Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com