Hide-and-seek

Netizens use "hide-and-seek" to refer to an incident of a prison inmate who died during a game of hide-and-seek and describe authorities' approach to investigations. Literally translated as "eluding the cat" (躲猫猫), the term erupted onto the online scene and became a popular Internet phrase among Chinese netizens in February 2009. Shanghai Translation Publishing House has included the word in its latest edition of The Chinese-English Dictionary, China's most authoritative Chinese-English dictionary.

Police at Jinning Detention House in Yunnan Province originally reported that Li Qiaoming, a 24-year-old farmer, suffered a fatal head injury during a scuffle with other inmates while playing hide-and-seek in February 2009. Li died at a hospital four days later. The public swiftly questioned the explanation, speculating that Li had died from a police beating.

The government formed a 15-member independent committee that included five netizens and three reporters, but limited the extent of the inquiry. Committee members could not question the guards on duty at the time of the incident nor interview the prime suspect, Pu Huayong, who police said punched Li on the head and sent him into a wall. The committee was unable to reach any new conclusions about the death.

The official police investigation report, released a week later, said Li had been beaten to death while playing hide-and-seek. Three senior officials were removed from their posts for dereliction of duty in connection with the death.