This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
Paramilitary police officers patrol Tiananmen Square outside the Forbidden City, which was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, in Beijing on May 18, 2011. Feng Li/Getty Images
A wave of targeted killings against provincial and municipal officials has gripped China, with at least six prominent cases occurring in the past three months. These incidents have drawn attention to the growing social unrest and frustrations among the Chinese public amid economic hardship and political repression, China observers say.