British officials are offering consular support to a group of British citizens detained during a police raid on a rave in Shenzhen, south-eastern China.

Riot police reportedly descended on the party, which was being held in a tunnel on the outskirts of the city in Guangdong province in the early hours of Sunday morning. Witnesses said at least 300 revellers – understood to include British, American and Chinese citizens – were ordered on to buses and taken away for drug testing.



China’s official news agency, Xinhua, meanwhile said 491 people were under investigation. Of those, it said 118 tested positive for drugs. Ninety-three, including about 50 foreigners, are still thought to be in custody. The Guardian understands at least six are British.

An American witness told the Shenzhen Daily newspaper there were scenes of chaos and panic as Chinese security officers wearing riot gear surrounded the party in the city’s Nanshan district.

“It was like a stampede. My friend almost got run over. If it was more people, someone could have definitely got hurt,” the witness said. Suspects were forced to lie down by police and were treated like “prisoner[s] of war”, he added.

A spokesperson for the British embassy in Beijing said: “We are currently providing consular support to a group of British nationals detained in Shenzhen over the weekend.”

The event’s flier had promised “free entrance, cheap drinks, friendly vibes”. And online leaflets for previous raves suggest rave have been throwing all-night parties at the Shenzhen tunnel since at least 2012. One flier from that year features an image of a smiley face and the invitation: “Cheap drinks and everything else is available throughout the party.”

Flyer for Shenzhen party. Photograph: The Real Deal

Drugs such as MDMA and ketamine, which is produced on an industrial scale in some corners of Guangdong province, are popular on the city’s party scene.



The Shenzhen Daily reported that the tunnel where Sunday’s raid took place has become a regular location for raves, with famous DJs from Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa and Europe often playing there.



The American witness said the raid appeared aimed at ending those festivities once and for all. “I feel like this is a way to send a signal to the expat community,” he said.

Speaking on the eve of the raid, Deng Guangsheng, Shenzhen’s top anti-drugs officer, told the Shenzhen Evening News that his city had become an important drug distribution centre because of its proximity to Hong Kong and Macau.



Meanwhile, rave aficionados in southern China mourned the death of the region’s nightlife on Reddit. “Drugs aside, I have seen the SZ [Shenzhen] nightlife I liked disappear and being replaced with the SZ nightlife that I hate over the past 5 years,” wrote one. “Today it seems to be ‘look at me’ in most places, no one dancing around, most people forgot how to have fun and only care about showing off.”

The Foreign Office’s travel advice for China states: “The Chinese authorities undertake random drug testing on foreign nationals including on entry to the country. If a foreign national tests positive, the Chinese authorities can prosecute regardless of where or when the drugs had been consumed. There are extremely severe penalties for drugs offences, including the death penalty.”



Additional reporting by Christy Yao

