Hit-and-run backlash rattles China's elite

It is a catchphrase that has become shorthand for state irresponsibility and arrogance all over China: "Sue me if you dare. My dad is Li Gang."

The expression has spread like wildfire on the internet, highlighting growing public outrage at the criminal indifference of some of the children of the country's privileged elite.

After driving his black Volkswagen Magotan into two rollerblading students outside Hebei University in the Beishi district, a drunk Li Qiming did not stop until he was intercepted by security guards and students on campus. Mr Li stepped calmly out of the car and without any sign of remorse uttered the catchphrase: "Who's your daddy?"

His father, Li Gang, is the deputy chief of the Public Security Bureau in Baoding City, which is in Hebei province, northern China, and this position would usually guarantee freedom from broader consequences.

The story broke initially in the local media. But soon the censor, fearful of wider social problems, put the lid on the news. However, Li Qiming's comments have been published widely online and have provoked angry and mocking reactions from millions of Chinese. It is a classic example of how social and political issues make it into the wider social sphere, despite the Great Firewall of China, which seeks to keep a lid on uncomfortable truths.

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