Watchful eyes

A man working as a security volunteer in Tiananmen Square stands next to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The Chinese Communist Party's paranoia is on full display for its Congress in Beijing in a security squeeze extending from police swarming Tiananmen Square to elderly sentinels watching street corners.

The capital has 1.4 million 'public order volunteers' -- retirees, city street cleaners, firemen and low-paid security guards -- on the lookout for anything that could upset the sensitive gathering, even in the quietest residential neighborhoods.

Credit: Getty