A Chinese park dubbed as the “world’s noisiest park” decides to tone down the noise following the installation of noise monitors.
A report from The New York Times revealed that the Chengdu People's Park, or the "noisiest park in the world" as the residents call it, have finally lessened its contribution to the rising decibels in the community.
According to the article, the area had long been considered the busiest and noisiest park in the country because people--especially the elderly--have a tendency to party so much to the point that other residents are already complaining.
"I don't mind a bit of noise pollution--old people can also have their fun. [But] it got so loud I was worried about damaging my daughter's hearing," a resident named Li Yu told the NY Times.
Some people like 63-year-old resident Shuai Siqing never complained about it since it does not bother him at all while she practices tai chi.
"You need to block your ears if you're not used to it. The noise doesn't affect me. When you're doing tai chi, you enter your own realm and ignore all that," she said.
But of course, the number of complaints continued to grow, with some describing the park as a "big outdoor karaoke parlor," and officials finally decided to crack down on the noise-makers last year.
They installed noise monitors along the area which made residents and visitors get conscious about the loudness of their voices, musical instruments and speakers.
Quite surprisingly, it took a lot of adjusting to make the people get used to the "quiet" but many are still pleased at the improvement.
"Before it was chaotic. There was lots of fun, but there were also fights and complaints. We had to become more civilized," said 62-year-old retired doctor Deng Zixiao, who is a member of the choir who usually sings at the park.