Bars, drivers ordered to hush up for gaokao

Beijing has been ordered to quieten down at the end of this week during the annual ultra-competitive college entrance examinations, or gaokao.

A total of 73,460 students from the city's 16 districts and counties will attend the national exams on Thursday and Friday, and bars and drivers in areas near test centers must lower the decibel levels to aid candidates' concentration.

There will be temporary signs, which state "No whistling" or "Please slow down during gaokao" at streets around schools.

Vehicles are banned from some 35 roads, and horn-blowing is also a no-no during Friday afternoon's English listening test, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau announced Sunday.

Some of the city's entertainment venues are also looking at a drop in custom after being ordered to clamp down on noisy partying.

The director of the management office with Shichahai community committee, surnamed Wu, said that bars have been asked to keep noise down by taking audio speakers inside.

"We sent patrols out every night since last week, and told bar owners to avoid making noise," Wu said.

"We have confiscated about 40 speakers from bars that were not cooperative," Wu said.

However, some bars that did obey the order found customers avoided them, and some tried other ways to attract business.

A bartender, surnamed Xin, at Zhaojiu Wanwu Bar in Shichahai said that the bar's outside speakers were removed a few days ago.

"We also told our singers to lower their voices," Xin said.

But the number of customers has also reduced after they removed the speakers, said Xin, as the sound of singers from inside would attract customers.

A bartender, surnamed Ye, from the Houhai No.5 Bar, said they did move the speaker inside, but it did not affect their business.

"We opened the window, so the sound could still be heard from outside," Ye said.