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A SPATE OF noisy disputes between middle-aged women and nearby residents has prompted China’s communist leaders to step in and regulate dancing in public places, the country’s state media said earlier this week.
Groups of dancers often gather on China’s public squares and street corners performing choreographed routines to loud music, sometimes provoking anger from neighbours.
China will step up efforts to manage such dancers, creating a “public square dancing management mechanism” which will be “under government leadership”, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
“Public square dancing will enter into the social management system,” Xinhua cited a joint statement from four central departments including the culture ministry and the civil affairs ministry as saying.
The agencies will manage dancing in accordance with existing laws, it added.
“Dancing in public squares, as a cultural sporting activity deeply loved by the masses… has enriched the spiritual lives of people,” the statement said.
But it added: “problems such as inadequate space and… disturbances to local residents by noise and defects in management mechanisms have gradually appeared”.
Simmering disputes
Square dancing has become a hot topic in China, with stories on dancing “damas” – a term referring to middle-aged and elderly women – lighting up state media.
But disputes have increased. A man in Beijing who could not bear the loud music played by local dancers was jailed for six months after he fired a gun into the air in protest, the state-run China Daily reported last year.
In the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a simmering dispute between enthusiastic “damas” and their irritated neighbours made headlines in 2013 when the residents threw coins, rocks and ultimately faeces at the group in a bid to make them stop.
The China Daily said in March that authorities had hired an “expert panel” to choreograph 12 state-approved dances.
The government statement won plaudits from users of Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
“It is good to ensure that damas will never disturb citizens close to residential areas,” one person said online.
“It is definitely necessary to discipline them,” added another.
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They’ve introduced a “two step” plan to stop it.
♬♬ Badum-tish! ♬♬
Something has to done before there’s murder on the dancefloor, but they better not kill the groove!
what next a tax on smiles? If they’re happy enough to dance around the square they should be celebrated
From reading the article it seems the loud music bothering people is more the issue rather that the actual dancing.
Does it actually have anything to do with middle aged women? Sounds more like a noise pollution law.
Exactly. It’s local authorities responding to a large number of complaints made by local residents about loud music.
Stop giving Kenny ideas
They should withhold sex!
That’s a huge problem alright, fight the good fight China
We could do with more social interaction for older people here, something we should learn from the Chinese
Mao God….what next?
This is a huge part of Chinese society and has been forever; go to any square in any Chinese City first thing and you’ll see this (and oldies playing badminton). Seems like the ‘New’ China has less tolerance for the old.
This is an invitation, across the nation,
A chance for folks to meet.
There’ll be laughin’ singin’, and music swingin’ to discuss this dancing in the street business
One of the loveliest things you can encounter, just strolling around Beijing in the evening and you come across 50 couples ballroom dancing in the v middle of the street
Gangs of dancing middle aged women: Second world problems.
Beyonce knows us girls will rule the world some day and that includes you China. #chinadoll
The Chinese…
Surely it’s still allowed at Crossroads
Sounds like the ‘comments’ were Gov trolls
have your say