Newly elected councillors step up war on racy mainland Chinese dancers in Hong Kong park
- Parents have long complained of mainland Chinese singers blasting music in Tuen Mun Park, and taking tips for dancing with male spectators
- A group of incoming local councillors heads out on the lookout, hoping to boost enforcement of the rules
Spanning 12.5 hectares and located next to a railway station and housing estates, Tuen Mun Park is not best known for its 200 species of plant, its reptile house or its artificial lake.
Instead, most locals associate it with a group of female, mainland Chinese singers, sometimes referred to as “damas”, who regularly blast music through loudspeakers, and whom many residents decry as a nuisance. Online videos of the scantily clad singers dancing suggestively with park-goers – who are often seen giving cash tips – also draws criticism.
Noise complaints in the park first started in 2004, when groups began performing traditional Chinese music using amplifiers, before the singers took over.
According to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), which manages the park in the north of Hong Kong, 1,930 noise complaints have been filed since 2016. Only three of those cases have ended in conviction.
But that low rate of enforcement may soon change. A group of 21 Tuen Mun district councillors-elect has vowed to monitor the park daily from Saturday, checking for noise and reporting any infringements to LCSD staff. They plan to enact the plan for 30 days.
On Friday afternoon, children and parents from nearby schools spilled onto the southern fringes of the park, where there are playgrounds. Most did not dare venture any deeper into the park, including 76-year-old Tommy Chan and his grandson, aged seven.