Reference News Network, February 4 report - According to the website of The Australian, on February 2, ten years ago, Dongsi Shitiao in Beijing was a multi-lane highway, and pedestrians were troubled by the noise and exhaust fumes from cars.
Now, the most common sounds here are footsteps and birdsong.
The report states that this transformation marks an environmental victory in China, driven by a bold and government-wide effort to reduce noise, with the power of the people as a catalyst.
In 2021, relevant departments received more than four million noise pollution complaints. In a country where social harmony is the basis for maintaining stability, unresolved quality-of-life issues could disrupt social stability.
According to the report, the government has taken comprehensive measures: addressing various types of noise pollution nationwide, including industrial noise, construction noise, transportation noise, and social life noise, which have transformed the appearance of major Chinese cities over the past five years.
The results speak for themselves. Coffee shop owner Royna (phonetic) said, "Noise has decreased by four or five times." Her shop is located near the Workers' Stadium in eastern Beijing. She said the change has been particularly noticeable in the past two years, "mainly because there are more electric vehicles."
This observation points to a core strategy of China: accelerating the adoption of new energy vehicles through policy levers while strictly controlling the total number of motor vehicles, a measure initially implemented during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In Beijing, vehicles are restricted one day per week based on their license plate numbers, with the restricted days rotating quarterly. Pure electric passenger cars are not subject to these measures.
Since 2011, Beijing has used a "lottery" system to regulate the number of private car registrations. By 2025, Beijing set a quota of 100,000 private car permits, with 20,000 regular permits and 80,000 new energy vehicle permits - a ratio that largely determines consumer choices.
A ride-hailing driver said, "Electric vehicles run smoothly and save money." He had driven a hybrid car for six years and recently switched to a new energy vehicle. He said it takes about $8 to charge the car, which can be used all day. He also said he is satisfied with the government's control measures. "Traffic control is necessary; otherwise, the roads would be very congested."
The rise of new energy vehicles is not the only reason for the improvement of urban acoustic environments in China.
In 2024, relevant authorities laid 32 million square meters of low-noise pavement, installed thousands of automatic monitoring devices to track noise conditions in 338 cities, built sound barriers along highways, and established no-honking zones.
The street scenes are proof. In Beijing, idling vehicles produce almost no noise, and the noise from moving vehicles mainly comes from tires rather than engines.
To achieve this goal, 16 government departments jointly issued the "14th Five-Year Plan Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan" in 2023, requiring that by 2025, the nighttime noise compliance rate in national acoustic environment functional areas reach 85%.
According to government data, by 2024, this figure had reached 88.2%. Now, thousands of "quiet residential communities" exist across China. (Translated by Hu Guanghe)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7602837046511616564/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.