CHINESE officials hired 200 movie extras to pose as security guards in a bizarre bid to thwart protests at a construction site.

Aspiring thespians who had gathered outside a Beijing film studio in the hope of appearing in film background scenes were instead handed camouflage fatigues and told to prepare for a new role - that of a security guard, the Shanghai Daily said.

They were then taken by bus to a construction site for a new subway station and instructed to mingle with genuine guards, giving the impression the security detail was far larger than it really was.

The actors were each paid 60 yuan ($9.28) for the "performance", which helped scare off local villagers, who were angry about the compensation paid to them for their land.

The Chinese central government responded to the report, originally published by the Beijing News, by saying it knew nothing about actors being hired. Local officials tasked with carrying out the work were responsible for the ruse, the government said.

Read more at the Shanghai Daily.

Originally published as Movie extras hired to pose as security guards