Google Glass has been touted for its ability to help users send hands-free texts and empower everyone from physicians to cyclers. Could it also help the image of China's urban pari-police, known for their strong-arm tactics with protesters and street vendors?

When Google Glass went on sale in China earlier this year —thanks to some enterprising folks on Taobao—Jiang Yifan, a chengguan in the city of Changzhou in southern Jiangsu province, was among those snapping them up.

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