Risky business

Private investigation is booming in China, despite existing in legal limbo. He Na and Erik Nilsson in Beijing and Zhang Xiaomin in Dalian, Liaoning province, look into the country's private eyes.

Wang Tong's colleague quit after he was beaten and had a gun shoved in his face two days after becoming a private investigator. He was caught trailing a man in an infidelity case.

"We thought it was simply an extramarital affair. But the guy was a bigwig gangster," Wang recalls. "Our car and cameras were smashed. The detective was beaten, and the target put a gun in his face."