Angry Shanghai Residents Dump Water on Noisy Foreigners

From Yahoo:

Shanghai Residents Throw Water on Foreigners, Protesting Their Noise as Disturbing Residents

According to a March 13th report by the UK’s Daily Telegraph, recently on Yongkang Road, Shanghai, approximately 200 foreigners enjoying the nightlife on Yongkang Road had water dumped on them in protest by angry local residents for being too noisy at night and disturbing their rest.

According to reports, this well-known “bar street” used to be part of the French Concession in the past, and most of the people who visit there are usually European. Local residents living there complained that they have been putting up with the noise from the street for at least a year now.

The report says this water throwing incident occurred around 10pm on the night of March 9th when a few dozen noisy foreigners had water thrown at them by at least one household. One British person claimed that at around 9pm the night before, he witnessed a similar incident while dining at a local sushi restaurant.

28-year-old photography producer Michael Ashford described what happened on the night of March 9, “The place was absolutely crawling with people, mainly non-Chinese. 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. [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.”

A few photos of the scene were later posted online, inciting various comments and discussions from Chinese netizens. Some netizens expressed contempt and loathing toward these wild-partying peace-disturbing “laowai“.

Comments from Yahoo:

雅虎安徽省合肥市网友 [yangqinbin2008]：

If these people are disturbing the peace, just call the police, there’s no need to dump water on them!

雅虎意大利网友 [雁过留声]：

In certain civilized countries, people usually call the police to come handle situations like this, and what more, only when the noise is happening too late (like after 10 or 11pm). Also, entertainment places such as bars should avoid be located in residential areas…

雅虎秘鲁网友 [sunyoung2008]：

Sometimes I feel that our police treat laowai differently than the way they treat us local citizens…which really makes me bitter/upset!

雅虎河北省保定市网友 [[email protected]]：

Foreigners who don’t abide by the rules can all get lost out of China. Now is not late Qing Dynasty anymore.

雅虎美国网友 [piyajie401]：

Those Shanghai residents totally did what they should do, I support them! Teach these ill-mannered loud foreigners a lesson… Similarly, many of our countrymen are also loud, spitting and littering garbage wherever they please, bringing their bad habits abroad, making foreigners also detest our countrymen! I hope our countrymen will examine themselves as well. Character and self-cultivation is very important, without which one is nothing but a nouveau riche…

雅虎上海市浦东新区网友 [毛毛]：

Usually it is not a disturbance when not that many people come to the bars, it’s only when there are a lot of people that it becomes a disturbance. Actually, this could’ve been solved through other channels/methods, rather than handling it with an uncivilized method. And of course the behavior of some individuals does not necessarily represent all Shanghai residents.

雅虎澳大利亚网友 [baiyilu88]：

In some countries if someone is being noisy after a certain time at night, people can call the police and let them handle it. I guess in Shanghai there’s no such a regulation.

雅虎上海市黄浦区网友 [cheejm1949]：

They had to do what they had to do. Otherwise, what would you have the people living there do?

雅虎欧洲网友 [yyn7747]：

They should’ve dumped boiling water instead.

雅虎上海市闸北区网友 [•••]：

Was the water pig-flavored?