Residents fight wits and courage to hide from the "magic sound"
The square dance "protagonist" is also looking forward to an early resolution
Reporter Xia Ling
Strengthening the body, promoting social interaction... Square dance with these "labels" has become an indispensable part of the lives of many middle-aged and elderly people. However, among these beautiful words, there is also a glare "label" - disturbing the people.
Ms. Zheng, a 41-year-old high school teacher in Quzhou, said it was too difficult to go out for a walk at night and be quiet. Whether it is a park or a square, as long as it is an open space, you can almost see the square dance team. The point is that the sound is huge, and she often complains that the melody is too "earthy", while humming the "brainwashing divine comedy", and sometimes even the pace keeps up with the rhythm. This made Ms. Zheng cry and laugh.
Ms. Zheng said that what she could not bear most was that her son, who was in the fifth grade of primary school, was overwhelmed by his homework every day. To this end, she replaced the windows of her home with more soundproof glass.
Now, the draft law on the prevention and control of environmental noise pollution is being solicited for comments, and Ms. Zheng said that it is indeed time to manage it.
Is square dancing really that serious? What do the "protagonists" of square dance think about disturbing people? To this end, the reporter interviewed a number of middle-aged and elderly people who are keen on square dance and residents of the surrounding areas of the square and park. Punishment for excessive nuisance of square dancing, 90% of respondents expressed approval, including the dancers themselves.
Affected residents:
Most of them silently endure and even move for this reason
Xiao Zhang, a programmer in his early 30s, often works overtime, but he says he might be able to leave work early without the "Divine Comedy" that rings out on time downstairs.
There is a square downstairs in Xiao Zhang's company, and every evening, it is the time when he is least productive, because the square dance music makes him unable to concentrate. Xiao Zhang had looked for building properties and even complained to the urban management department. But when the manager came, he could only persuade the dancers to make the music quieter, and when they left, the volume would gradually increase.
Although Uncle Liu, who was also deeply disturbed, never complained, he said that he was not used to this kind of noise pollution, but saw that some people around him complained many times and did not solve it, so he had to suffer in silence.
Can't bear to change jobs or move, Guzheng teacher Xiaokong is one of them. When Xiaokong practices at home, he often can't hear his own piano, and she said that instead of fighting with noise, it is better to move early. Xiaokong's new house is already under renovation and she said she will try to move out in October.
With the draft noise pollution prevention and control law open for public comment, these residents who are deeply troubled by the "magic sound" see hope. Aunt Fu, 70, has been plagued by square dance noise for more than a decade, saying that she usually goes to bed early, sometimes at eight or nine o'clock at night, and the "Divine Comedy" downstairs continues, so she has to close the doors and windows. Aunt Fu said that the same is the elderly, she understands the needs of developing hobbies and social networking, and she does not want the elderly who love to dance to be punished for this, but she hopes to play a preventive and warning role in letting them think more about the lives of the surrounding residents when they dance.
Square Dance Protagonist:
I've been trying to fix it and haven't found a good way
Four years ago, 63-year-old Aunt Xu came to Hangzhou from her hometown to help bring her grandchildren. When she first arrived in Hangzhou, because she had no friends, Aunt Xu often felt lonely, and she always hoped that her grandson would grow up quickly and stay up early.
One evening out for a walk, Aunt Xu saw someone dancing square dance in the square downstairs of her home. Because she was interested in dance and music when she was young, she stood at the end of the line and danced along. Since then, Aunt Xu has found new pleasures.
Every night at 6:30 p.m., Aunt Xu would go downstairs on time to dance, and the moment the music started, the exhaustion of the accumulated day seemed to be forgotten. Aunt Xu has also made many little sisters, they often communicate dance moves, and sometimes they will go out shopping together.
However, Aunt Xu said that while square dancing brings her happiness, it may also cause trouble for others. A few times, she brought her little grandson to play with her, and as a result, the grandson kept holding her hand and saying that it was too noisy and wanted to go home.
The lead dancer of a square dance team, Sister Wang, said that they also wanted to solve the problem, but they had not found a suitable way. They first tried to turn down the volume of the sound, but sometimes the noise of the surrounding environment would cover up the music, and they couldn't hear it clearly, and they would jump up in a mess. I have also tried using headphones, but I often jump and slide down. Sister Wang once asked the community if there was a relatively quiet and closed environment, such as underground or indoor, but she had not found a suitable venue.
Aunt Xu said that it is not easy to find a hobby and make a group of friends, I hope to understand more, and also ask everyone to help come up with ideas to solve this problem together.
onlooker:
Penalties are not the goal Finding a balance is key
Although Ms. Huang did not have the personal experience of square dancing "disturbing the people", she saw many extreme cases from the news. Some people spray water downstairs with water guns in order to drive away the square dance team; some people take out loudspeakers, and square dance sounds are louder than anyone; some even write curse words on the ground or throw waste engine oil on the dancing venue. Ms. Huang said that although these behaviors are too extreme and undesirable, it can be seen that the noise of square dancing has indeed caused trouble to many people. If left unchecked, there may be more serious confrontations that lead to a lose-lose situation.
In this regard, Ms. Huang believes that in the draft law on the prevention and control of noise pollution, it is necessary to regulate the activities of entertainment and fitness in public places.
Mr. Zhou, a citizen, looks at this issue more from the perspective of the elderly. Mr. Zhou runs a commissary with a small square nearby. At the time of the reporter's interview, someone happened to be dancing square dance. Mr. Zhou pointed to one of the eldest sisters and told reporters that the eldest sister came almost every day, sometimes to his commissary to buy things, and the two chatted a few words. The eldest sister is an old man who lives alone, her husband died at an early age, her children are out of town, and she spends most of her time at home except for dancing. The eldest sister told Mr. Zhou that every day she looked forward to dancing at night, someone talked, and she could also move her body.
Mr. Zhou said that if some elderly people have to give up their only hobby because of punishment, it is also very regrettable. He believes that punishment is not the goal, the key is to find a balance, both to let the elderly develop hobbies and interests, but also not to cause trouble to others.
Source: Zhejiang Old YearLy