In what may appear to be an effective delaying tactic, an allegedly illegal building located in central Shanghai was found covered with posters of Chinese President Xi Jinping, so that it could escape being demolished by bulldozers.

Photos of the large property that featured Xi's posters went viral on the internet, according to Thepaper.cn. The tactic was quite effective in delaying its demolition, but apparently not for long.

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Later on the same day, police were seen stripping the alleged illegal property of Xi's posters.

The Xi posters were first attached to the building's walls on Friday, said a worker from a hotel situated just opposite the alleged illegal property. This approach of using the president's photos, according to a Chinese academic, is believed to rooted in the same ideology as using other items, such as images, to drive away evil spirits.

“Deep down the psychological dynamics are the same here,” Shanghai University of Political Science and Law professor Chen Daoyin explained, “[the posters were attached there] for the purpose of self-protection.”

Chen also said that the owner, or whoever put the posters in there, was trying to 'play with others fears' by using a symbol of ruling power. He added that the owner could have just followed civil laws or due process of law, but instead it appears that the owner has resorted to using the nation's leader to settle matters.

Right now, it is still unclear if the building will be demolished. However, if the property is found to be illegal, authorities will be taking necessary action against it.

TagsXi Jinping, Shanghai, china, Posters, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Chen Daoyin