Shanghai Calm in Wake of Student Turbulence

This turbulent city was calm Saturday, and Chinese authorities said no students had been arrested after massive street demonstrations calling for democracy and reform.

However, official sources said that at least four workers had been detained for offenses related to the demonstrations, the most significant wave of public protest in China in many years.

In Peking, a government official told the Reuters news agency that she expects no further demonstrations in the capital, where city leaders Friday introduced tough rules effectively banning marches.

But the official also said, without elaborating, that ringleaders of student marches will eventually be punished by being assigned to unattractive jobs when they graduate.

Weekend crowds crammed the main shopping area of Shanghai, and stores and restaurants in the coastal metropolis of 12 million, China’s largest city, were doing brisk business.

Children flew kites and athletes jogged in People’s Square, where students last weekend staged large-scale rallies. More than 10,000 students had gathered in People’s Square in the latest wave of campus unrest, which has swept at least 10 cities.

In another city where there have been major protests, Nanjing, about 5,000 students, workers and other residents jammed a traffic circle for the sixth consecutive night Saturday to discuss freedom, economics and the future of the nation. Open-air debate swirled around the foot of Drum Tower, a landmark in the eastern city.

Unlike pro-democracy street demonstrations in other Chinese cities, there has been no marching or confrontations with officials in Nanjing, formerly known in the West as Nanking. There were few uniformed police around Saturday, although students said there were many undercover agents.

The students added that authorities had made no effort to stop the polemics that began Dec. 22, sometimes attracting crowds of thousands.

That carrot-and-stick approach has characterized the government’s handling of the student demonstrations all over the country. Authorities have carefully avoided repressive measures and emphasized their commitment to democratic reform, but have also restricted street marches and launched a media campaign to persuade students that unchecked protests could lead to chaos.