Chinese officials label beards 'potential hazards' and offer reward for facial hair tips

XINJIANG , China, April 25 (UPI) -- Chinese officials have placed beards on a list of “potential hazards” facing society and have decided to offer a reward to people who inform about the facial hair of others.

Officials in Xinjiang are prepared to offer rewards of up to $8,000 for information about “a wide range of intelligence from those wearing beards to spreading information to topple the authorities.”

The information is being collected by the government “in order to prevent and combat crimes and maintain social stability.”

"This is common practice in the international community. It is therefore natural for Xinjiang to release such a notice and I believe it will play an effective role in combating terrorism as well as maintaining social stability," Turgunjan Tursun, a research fellow at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Rewards will also be given for information about individuals engaging in “separatism preaching,” “training for terror attacks” and provoking “conflicts between religious sects.”