I had a brief but memorable experience with the CFTU gang which I will share here briefly. First they are expat volunteer vigilantes who try to keep a low profile to avoid guv harassment. Two of their leaders were not granted new visas in 2010 without any explanations and had to leave.

My experience with them was that I was being extorted for my release letter from Shane English two years ago. The Chinese partner at my branch wanted 10,000 yuan for a the invitation letter and 5,000 for a letter of recommendation. Even if I had the extra cash I would not have paid the bastard a dime.

I went to a coffeehouse meeting of the CFTU at PKU and told them my story. Even though I was not a member they got on the horn and recorded a telephone call with the jerk that was shaking me down. They sent the guy a photo I took of him at the Spring Festival school party and told him he'd be on Weibo and the CFTU website if he did not comply with the law.

Three days later I got my release letter and a glowing recommendation letter from the guy by courier for free. There is no way I could have done that on my own so I give these guys credit for having both the smarts and the balls to fight back for us in a land where we have very little recourse.