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Shanghai residents declare war on drunken expats
A group of irate, bucket-wielding Shanghai residents has reportedly declared war on drunken expats who they accuse of disturbing their peace.
Furious locals "dumped water" on some 200 noisy foreigners who enjoying the nightlife on Yongkang Road, one of Shanghai's most popular bar streets, last weekend.
A local government official told the Global Times newspaper they would now "force" the street's bars – whose clients are largely European - to close by 10pm.
Residents of the street in what expats call the "Former French Concession" have reportedly been complaining about noise pollution for at least a year.
It appears that the weekend water attack was not the first of its kind.
The dispute "came to a head" at around 10pm on Saturday night when dozens of raucous foreigners were doused with water from the window of at least one home, the report claimed.
A British expat said he had witnessed a similar incident at around 9pm on Friday while dining in a local sushi restaurant.
"The place was absolutely crawling with people, mainly non-Chinese," said 28-year-old Michael Ashford, a Shanghai-based photography producer. "It was quite crazy really, how many people were out - and it was loud.
"Out the corner of my eye I saw movement outside, then a loud bang and a collective gasp as people got drenched," he added.
"[I am] not sure whether it was freezing cold water or something other than water. Some people started yelling abuse up at the window and sticking middle fingers up."
An online photograph of the aftermath drew mixed responses from Chinese micro-bloggers. Some worried the incident would make China "lose face" abroad while others vented anger at the "snobbish and mocking" foreigners.
One micro-blogger claimed the street was now "out of control". Another wrote: "The noise has made it impossible for kids to sleep. The relevant organs have done nothing [and] the conflict has worsened."
Xu Yinhao, a resident who filmed Saturday's incident, told the Global Times the reaction had been hostile. "They gave us the middle finger and shouted at us.
"There are many seniors living here. If [the bars] keep their windows open at night it sounds like New Year's Eve out there," he added.
"We don't want all of the bars to move away. We just hope that the bar owners can keep their foreign customers inside."
Shanghai is China's most international city with nearly 150,000 foreign residents.
Shanghai residents declare war on drunken expats - Telegraph
****************************************
An unique way to protest and force the Govt machinery to act.
It is incorrect to be raucous on a daily basis and disturb those who live there.
Maybe if the bars were not in residential areas and instead in commercial areas, such confrontations would not occur.
Who knows but it could be that the residents of the place are bar owners themselves!
A group of irate, bucket-wielding Shanghai residents has reportedly declared war on drunken expats who they accuse of disturbing their peace.
Furious locals "dumped water" on some 200 noisy foreigners who enjoying the nightlife on Yongkang Road, one of Shanghai's most popular bar streets, last weekend.
A local government official told the Global Times newspaper they would now "force" the street's bars – whose clients are largely European - to close by 10pm.
Residents of the street in what expats call the "Former French Concession" have reportedly been complaining about noise pollution for at least a year.
It appears that the weekend water attack was not the first of its kind.
The dispute "came to a head" at around 10pm on Saturday night when dozens of raucous foreigners were doused with water from the window of at least one home, the report claimed.
A British expat said he had witnessed a similar incident at around 9pm on Friday while dining in a local sushi restaurant.
"The place was absolutely crawling with people, mainly non-Chinese," said 28-year-old Michael Ashford, a Shanghai-based photography producer. "It was quite crazy really, how many people were out - and it was loud.
"Out the corner of my eye I saw movement outside, then a loud bang and a collective gasp as people got drenched," he added.
"[I am] not sure whether it was freezing cold water or something other than water. Some people started yelling abuse up at the window and sticking middle fingers up."
An online photograph of the aftermath drew mixed responses from Chinese micro-bloggers. Some worried the incident would make China "lose face" abroad while others vented anger at the "snobbish and mocking" foreigners.
One micro-blogger claimed the street was now "out of control". Another wrote: "The noise has made it impossible for kids to sleep. The relevant organs have done nothing [and] the conflict has worsened."
Xu Yinhao, a resident who filmed Saturday's incident, told the Global Times the reaction had been hostile. "They gave us the middle finger and shouted at us.
"There are many seniors living here. If [the bars] keep their windows open at night it sounds like New Year's Eve out there," he added.
"We don't want all of the bars to move away. We just hope that the bar owners can keep their foreign customers inside."
Shanghai is China's most international city with nearly 150,000 foreign residents.
Shanghai residents declare war on drunken expats - Telegraph
****************************************
An unique way to protest and force the Govt machinery to act.
It is incorrect to be raucous on a daily basis and disturb those who live there.
Maybe if the bars were not in residential areas and instead in commercial areas, such confrontations would not occur.
Who knows but it could be that the residents of the place are bar owners themselves!
