New ordinance would dial down music, limit hours in public spaces

The Washington Post, 18 dicembre 2021

by Lily Kuo

For years, China’s ubiquitous dancing grannies have protected their turf. They hurled insults at teenagers over a basketball court. They stormed a soccer field during a children’s match. And they suffered abuse from angry neighbors throwing food — and in at least one case, feces — at them. These middle-aged and retired Chinese women, who take over public parks and plazas around the country to engage in synchronized shimmying, will soon face new restrictions on their right to boogie. Under legislation to update China’s noise pollution ordinances, to be sent to lawmakers next week, dance enthusiasts will face limits on the volume of their music and times that they are allowed to occupy public spaces. Fines for individuals range between $30 and $150, and more than $3,000 for groups. “Those who violate the regulations shall be persuaded and educated” by the relevant local government bodies “to correct themselves,” the draft legislation says, according to state media.