Boijing bar district told to shut up or shut down

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) Beijing authorities have promised frazzled residents of a popular lake-side entertainment district a good night's sleep if they report noise pollution from rowdy bars and clubs, local media reported.

Residents around Shichahai, a string of imperial-era man-made lakes in central Beijing, have watched in bemusement over the last few years as their formerly tranquil communities have been transformed into neon-festooned bar districts complete with blaring music and throngs of pub-crawlers.

From Saturday, Shichahai night-spots drawing noise-related complaints from neighbours would be shut down by police, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a local newspaper.

"Since mid-June, complaints of disturbances and quarrels have increased 50 percent on the previous year," the report said.

Police would also confiscate speakers placed outside bars to promote their businesses, it said, adding that pub owners would have to "gradually tone down" the noise from music and patron-soliciting touts between the hours of 8 pm and 1 am.

Many of Beijing's older residents still live close to the bar district, in cramped housing in converted courtyard properties that line the inner city's "hutong" -- traditional imperial-era alleyways that date back centuries.

Shichahai, a magnet for domestic and foreign tourists who sip lattes from roof-top cafes and fend off tour invitations from aggressive rickshaw drivers, has come under increased scrutiny from cultural officials who bemoan its gleeful commercialism and chaotic traffic.

REUTERS SW PM1055