China Focus: With less noise, Chinese cities getting quieter

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese cities are growing noticeably quieter as the past five years have seen the country make impressive strides in curbing sources of urban noise pollution, reducing aural annoyances from bustling industrial complexes to lively square dancers, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) has said.

The data released by the ministry showed that both daytime and nighttime noise compliance rates are rising steadily across cities in China, reported the Science and Technology Daily on Tuesday.

From 2020 to 2024, the share of urban areas meeting national daytime noise standards increased from 94.6 percent to 95.8 percent, while nighttime compliance jumped sharply from 80.1 percent to 88.2 percent, the MEE said.

The improvements follow China's years of targeted efforts to address public grievances over noise from industrial and construction sites, traffic, and public activities -- common issues in the country's densely populated cities.

China has been striving to balance rapid urbanization with livability through stricter regulations, smart monitoring systems, and community-driven initiatives.

According to the 2024 Report on Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution in China, noise is classified into four categories, namely industrial, construction, transportation and social, with tailored solutions applied to each, according to the report.

To modernize oversight, China had installed 4,005 automated noise monitoring systems in 338 cities by the end of 2024, replacing manual checks, said an MEE official.

In 2024 alone, the ministry's special initiative to tackle noise pollution addressed over 1,500 noise complaints, benefiting roughly 500,000 residents.

At the community level, there are currently 2,132 "quiet neighborhoods" nationwide, which enforce strict limits on nighttime activities.

Industrial sites now face tighter scrutiny, too. The MEE is incorporating factories and other operators that emit industrial noise into the ministry's pollutant discharge permit management system.

So far, approximately 177,000 factories have integrated noise controls under their discharge permits, with full coverage expected by 2025.

SHH, SQUARE DANCERS

Public spaces are also being reimagined. To address noise disturbances in public areas, the country encourages managers of public venues to establish automatic noise monitoring displays and recommends the use of wireless headphones and directional sound equipment to reduce noise pollution.

The 2024 Report on Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution in China indicates that in 2023, over 700 automatic noise monitoring devices and display screens were installed in public spaces across cities nationwide.

To balance the interests of square dance fans and other members of the public, a notable change is that cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Jinhua, and Taizhou have introduced special square dancing zones, where dancers install directional sound systems to reduce noise disturbances.

In the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, a pilot AI-powered program has slashed noise complaints linked to square dancing by 26.8 percent in the city's Jiulongpo district.

The system integrates noise testing sensors with existing police video surveillance to perform AI-based big data analysis and identification of noise types, issuing warnings via lights or alerts when noise exceeds set thresholds.

If warnings are ignored, the system can automatically disrupt Bluetooth signals from onsite sound systems, effectively cutting off the noise source. ■