The Beijing Transport Law Enforcement Team said on Tuesday that they will set up a blacklist for professional beggars and performers in the subway. If caught, those on the blacklist will be sent back to their home provinces. 

Both begging and performing in subway stations and trains are prohibited according to a municipal safety regulation issued last year. However, 929 such cases have been investigated, accounting for more than 60 percent of total unlawful acts.

The authorities have found that most of the beggars beg regularly for a living. They tend to beg along fixed routes and stations.

Given the situation, the Beijing Transport Law Enforcement Team plans to set up the blacklist to further discourage this behavior. Already, 89 people have been recorded as regular beggars and subway performers.

An official added that flash mobs and other performances are also discouraged in the subway as they may pose safety risks.

According to previous media reports, professional beggars often pretend to be disabled, or they bring children with them to garner more sympathy. In reality, those children are often “rented” as props. Also, for some true professionals, their incomes may total 7,000 to 8,000 yuan or more every month.