Take to the Nanjing Metro these days and find that it is an increasingly quiet place. That’s because our city is apparently leading the way on cracking down on so-called uncivilised behaviour. And it’s got a lot of people in other cities calling for the same.
The incident in fact occurred a month ago, on 26 May. That’s the day when officers patrolling a Metro Line 1 train came across a lady watching a movie on her phone.
At the time, the train was travelling from Baijiahu Station to Xiaolongwan Station. Problem was, the movie’s soundtrack was being routed to the phone’s loudspeakers as opposed being “on silent” or routed to headphones, as required by metro regulations nationwide.
The officers chose to intervene, issuing the lady with an on-the-spot fine, just as the doors of the train opened at Xiaolongwan. That the incident, reported by Southern Daily (南方日报) on 24 June, has attracted so much attention suggests the lady in Nanjing in fact received the first such fine in the country. And from the reaction of the internet, citizens all over China are praising Nanjing and want more of this kind of a fine issued.
Li Bin heads up one of the law enforcement brigades for Nanjing Metro. Speaking with reporters, Li said, “In April, 2020, the Ministry of Transport issued measures for the management of passenger transport organisation and service on urban rail transit. Article 36 stipulates that passengers shall not behave in any way that affects the operation order of urban rail transit, including the use of electronic equipment to emit sound”.
The Nanjing Metro is indeed a quiet and orderly environment, thanks in part to extensive efforts aimed at making it so. For some years now, the use of loudspeakers on phones has been outlawed. Trains today feature prominent signage stating, “No Using Loudspeakers”.
Noise pollution as a whole has been a problem in China for decades. While progress has been made in many areas, changes in society have brought about new challenges. Sales staff screaming promotions into megaphones, for example, have been replaced by cacophonies of barking dogs.
Just as well then, that from 5 June, 2022, China’s “Law on Noise Pollution Prevention and Control” was officially implemented. The Law stipulates that families and their members should cultivate a good habit of reducing noise, as well as keeping pets and undertaking other daily activities in such a way as to avoid noise pollution affecting those around as much as possible.
According to China Justice Observer (CJO), “The [term] ‘noise’ refers to the sound that adversely affects the living environments in surrounding areas. ‘Noise pollution’ occurs when such noise exceeds a prescribed standard and causes harm to the lives of people (Art. 2)”.
While one lady in Nanjing is likely now bringing along headphones for her daily commute, CJO also observes that others, namely those choosing to spend their evenings outside dancing to music, need not worry, so long as the volume be “set within a reasonable level”.
