'Bronze men' lose shine

Police removed six men painted in bronze from Qianmen Dajie in Dongcheng district on July 11, for reportedly harassing tourists, the Legal Mirror reported.

The men were dressed and painted like bronze statues from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). They were attracting tourists to take photos with them before demanding fees of 20 yuan ($3.2) to 100 yuan.

The "bronze men" attracted many tourists at first, but soon lost their shine when they became aggressive in their demands for payment. Authorities had previously dealt with six other "bronze men" cases, fining 1,400 yuan for their unlicensed business activities, and even confiscating nine sets of costumes.