GRAFFITI artists watch out! Shenzhen’s chengguan, urban administration officers, will crack down on graffiti and advertisement leaflets on the city’s 290 main roads, schools and checkpoints before the upcoming Spring Festival, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

    The urban administration is working with police to clean up graffiti, doodling and small flyers pasted on the street. Flyers that promote illegal operations like fake seals, fake certificates, gambling and prostitution will be sent to police for investigation. Those promoting home sales and leases will be sent to the housing and construction bureau, which will consider punishment for the advertisers.

    Doodling, graffiti and flyers that lead to damages costing at least 5,000 yuan (US$720) may lead to prosecution, officials told the paper. According to the criminal law, intentional damage of public or private property faces fines and prison terms ranging from months to seven years, depending on the severity of the offense.

    Called “psoriasis on the urban landscape,” the small flyers pasted on electrical poles, bus stops, pavement and walls have been running rampant in Shenzhen, especially on busy business streets, causing headaches for cleaners and urban administration officers.

    The hard-to-remove bills usually advertise illegal businesses, like fake IDs and certificates, unlicensed clinics treating venereal diseases, and fraudulent employment agencies.

    In March last year, two people in Longhua New Area were arrested for pasting flyers on traffic fences on Fulong Road, which damaged public property worth over 40,000 yuan.

    The duo were the first people in Longhua to be prosecuted for pasting flyers.  (Lin Min)