US Embassy Issues Christmas Alert for Westerners in Sanlitun

This just in: the US Embassy in Beijing has warned Westerners planning revelry in Sanlitun this Christmas that a "possible threat" has been received.

The warning went out via email on the morning of Dec 24 as was posted to the embassy's website shortly after 11am the same day.

The warning states: “The US Embassy has received information of possible threats against Westerners in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, on or around Christmas Day. US citizens are urged to exercise heightened vigilance."

Later, similar warnings were sent out by the British, French and Irish embassies in Beijing, expatriate residents report. No details about the nature of the threat were revealed.

Chinese law enforcement followed suit by issuing a “Yellow Alert” for all public areas of the city that are likely to see a large number of people over the holiday, such as shopping areas, bar strips, churches and movie theaters. A Yellow Alert is the first of a three-stage alert system and calls for increased public security across the city.

Images circulating on social media demonstrate a heavy police presence in the Sanlitun area. A picture taken at Taikoo Li showed armed guards in front of the Uniqlo store in Taikoo Li, the scene of a grisly saber attack earlier this year.

Several Sanlitun restaurants that have been planning special Christmas and Christmas Eve dinners for months have already reported multiple cancellations. One restaurateur whose venue is outside one of the Diplomatic Residence Compounds in the area said he spotted the unusual sight of military police with real guns patrolling the area with what looks like bomb-sniffing dogs.

Chinese netizens have been actively discussing the threat on social media. "I just got out of a meeting where my boss said that it would be best if we didn't go for a big group dinner in Sanlitun," said one Weibo user. "First I thought it was a joke, then I saw the news from the US Embassy. I guess I'd better take heed – there's lots of foreigners there, and an attack by ISIS really could be a possibility."

The threat comes as a surprise and a disappointment particularly because it was issued on Christmas Eve, commonly known in Chinese as the “Night of Peace” (ping’an ye 平/安夜), and typically marked by going out for large social gatherings at restaurants and nightlife venues.

According to Chinese news outlet The Mirror, the Haidian Department of Education took the unusual step of issuing warnings to all the district’s students on Thursday, exhorting them to avoid Sanlitun, Houhai and other heavily populated areas on Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

The Mirror also reports that Sanlitun Beijie has been closed to cars and all trash receptacles have been cleared from the area.

A walk-through of Sanlitun on Thursday afternoon revealed nothing out of the ordinary, the only difference being a heightened security presence at Taikoo Li, who appeared to be closely monitoring a visit from Santa Claus. A crowd of mostly Chinese shoppers were on hand taking pictures with old Saint Nick.

Foreigners didn't seem to be taking any special precautions either, with plenty spotted walking through the neighborhood.

A good portion of the embassy district north of Sanlitun is closed to vehicular traffic, though pedestrians and bikers were being allowed through unimpeded.

The area closed to traffic contains or is bordered by the German and Saudi Arabian embassies; popular shopping spots such as Jenny Lou's and April Gourmet; and many popular restaurants. All of the businesses were open as usual.

If an ominous warning hasn't convinced you to stay away from Sanlitun this Christmas, then maybe the horrendous traffic as of 4pm on Christmas Eve will. The back-up is partly due to the fact that the roads around the embassies have been blocked off (with no sign of that changing any time soon) and partly to do with the heavy traffic that's been known to plague the area on Christmas Eves past. You can expect more of the same on Christmas Day.

Those that went out to the Sanlitun area on Christmas Eve reported a heavy police presence, with some areas featuring more security personnel than revelers. A similarly heavy police presence was seen around the handful of Christian churches holding services Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the LA Times reports that the threat specifically against foreigners may be a first for China.

“If you look at previous terrorist threats in the area dating back to the '90s, except for one incident in central Asia … no other attacks in China and central Asia have targeted Westerners,” The Times quoted Lanzhou University counter-terrorism expert Yang Shu as saying.

The Beijinger reached out to multiple venues in the Sanlitun area to determine whether they are changing any of their Christmas plans. Currently we have not heard of any closures or alterations in reaction to the warning.

In the meantime, be careful out there.

Image: US Embassy Beijing, Michael Wester/the Beijinger