"My first job out of college, I was a chemical engineer, so I understand what it's like to be accused of something you didn't do," he says.

Supposed crimes were prosecuted not when they occurred, or when they were discovered, but when the prosecutions would be useful to neutralize opponents or undermine critics.

What started as an attempt to lighten a dark corner of Chinese life has turned into something that looks suspiciously like a witch-hunt.

When we are still in search of the " unwarranted " the lowest point in the market and anxiety, perhaps, right around us the opportunity to quietly slip.

Mr. Alva, the X-ray entrepreneur, says government officials sought bribes for everything from speeding up his business permit to resolving what he calls bogus child-labor claims.