Brian Klingborg > Quotes

“But China’s mandatory household registration system, the hukou, presents a significant barrier for this type of match. Citizens from the countryside are not allowed to move to urban areas without state approval. The prospect of more desirable employment lures many to cities anyway, but even if they find a good job, they are barred from accessing urban health care, education, and housing benefits. And since children inherit their mother’s hukou status, no self-respecting urban bachelor wants to marry a poor girl from the sticks—unless they are truly in love, and in which case, everyone lives happily ever after. Except for the woman and her children, who, because of their hukou, are essentially illegal aliens in their own country.”
― Brian Klingborg, Wild Prey

“What he desires is more along the lines of the sentiment expressed in the ancient poem “Oh, Heaven”: My wish to be close to you Will never wane, though my life be long Only when the mountain peaks have worn away Rivers have dried up It thunders in the winter Snows in the summer And Heaven and Earth collide Would I ever dare to say goodbye”
― Brian Klingborg, Thief of Souls

“After she’s gone, Lu lies alone in his bed, a bit drunk, and thinks of a poem by Li Yu, the last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty, who met his untimely end by poisoning: How many teardrops Run down your face and across your cheeks? Don’t speak when troubles make you weep Or try to play the phoenix flute through your tears Because then your heart will just break all the more”
― Brian Klingborg, Thief of Souls

“want to call a lawyer.” “You know the drill,” Han says. Lu does. Under Chinese law, a suspect can be detained for several days before the police are obligated to file an arrest request with the procuratorate. Once the procurator has approved it, a suspect may be held for as long as 13.5 months while a thorough investigation is carried out. Suspects do not have the right to have a lawyer until after the initial interrogation, and in some cases not even until the case goes to trial.”
― Brian Klingborg, The Magistrate

“The sexual abuse and trafficking of North Korean women and girls is a serious and growing issue in China. Hundreds of North Korean women defect every year, seeking relief from famine and repression, and hopeful for a better life. Go-betweens often promise them a job in a restaurant or factory—then sell them to brokers who force them into marriage, prostitution, or cybersex work. To make matters worse, the Chinese government regards these victims as illegal immigrants rather than refugees. If they go to the authorities, they are simply repatriated back to North Korea, where they will likely serve time in prison camps under horrific conditions.”
― Brian Klingborg, The Magistrate

“You can’t solve a problem? Well, get down and investigate the present facts and its past history! When you have investigated the problem thoroughly, you will know how to solve it. Conclusions invariably come after investigation, and not before.”
― Brian Klingborg, Thief of Souls

“Thursday morning, Xu attends a biweekly “Police Cloud” meeting. The goal of this much-ballyhooed big data system is to take information the government routinely collects on its citizens—birthplace, address, occupation, family relations, religious affiliation—and integrate it with hotel and travel records, CCTV footage, biometrics, consumer information, medical history, and even one’s shopping habits, to predict and stop crime before it happens.”
― Brian Klingborg, The Magistrate

“When you leave here and I shut the door, that’s the end of it for me. How about for you? Can you drive off and not look back? Keep your eyes on the road in front of you? Because that’s where your life and future await. Not in your rearview mirror.”
― Brian Klingborg, The Magistrate