How a Chinese region that accounts for just 1.5% of the population became one of the most intrusive police states in the world

Wang also described how residents' movement is severely restricted by access cards that, once swiped, not only display personal information but also include geo-restrictions, meaning individuals are banned from entering certain shops, restaurants, and markets.

"Unless you have it on you, you can’t go in stores, and even then you can only go in designated ones. For example, my access card only lets me shop at the stores downstairs and the shopping mall(s). I can’t go into any other stores in the commune, or buy anything there," he said referring to a residential district. "If I tried, it would automatically alert the police. So you have to pay whatever the price is at the designated stores, with no choice to shop elsewhere."