As the September 3, 2025 “9/3 Military Parade” approaches, districts in Beijing have begun recruiting temporary security personnel, primarily tasked with guarding utility poles, pedestrian overpasses, and other key areas.
These temporary jobs mainly cover the period from August 8 to September 4 (with some extending to September 5), and most require continuous work – wages will be withheld if the worker leaves early. According to screenshots of job postings circulating on Chinese social media platforms WeChat and QQ groups, the recruitment mainly targets healthy men aged 18 to 55, with minimum height requirements of 168 cm or 170 cm.
Some postings explicitly state the role is “bridge guard.” This “occupation” began after the 2022 Sitong Bridge incident where Peng Lifa posted banners denouncing the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping and the COVID lockdown. Since then, during politically sensitive periods, Beijing authorities have deployed “bridge watchers” to prevent the hanging of protest banners on overpasses. In addition, some recruitment ads mention “security guards” for utility poles. Netizens speculate this may be related to the large number of handwritten slogans found on utility poles in Beijing during this year’s June 4 anniversary.
A Beijing resident commented that this shows the times are unsettled.
Sources:
1. Epoch Times, August 8, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/8/8/n14569832.htm
2. NTDTV, August 8, 2025
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2025/08/07/a104009810.html