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Enoch Wong

The authorities in a historic Chinese city have apologised for breaking into a shop to turn on the lights during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
Officials in Datong apologised after footage of Monday night’s incident circulated online that showed firecrews and other uniformed personnel breaking into the shop, which had failed to follow a decree that businesses in the ancient city should keep the lights on at night to create a festive atmosphere.
Once inside, they switched on the lights and then secured the door with a U-lock before leaving.
The footage sparked widespread public criticism and the Pingcheng district’s street office issued an apology hours after a commentary in a party newspaper said the action was illegal.
The office admitted that it had used “improper” methods and blamed the incident on “poor communication and misunderstandings”.
“In essence, it reflects our impatience for quick results, a crude and heavy-handed approach, and a lack of service awareness in our work, leading to serious misjudgment and a significant negative impact on the city’s image,” it said.
The shop owner, identified in local media reports by his surname Yue, said he was still upset that it had happened.
Yue said he had left the shop’s outdoor lights and sign on at night but had turned off the indoor lighting when he closed for the night.

He then received a late-night call warning him that the authorities would force entry if he did not return to turn on more lights. “They broke in without my permission,” Yue said.
Last month the city authorities issued a notice asking businesses in the old city to keep their lights on between 6pm and 6am from January 27 to February 12.
The authorities promised to subsidise the additional electricity costs and local media reports said that city workers had described the policy as voluntary. However, some business owners told the media they had been given personal reminders to comply with the notice.
Datong, in Shanxi province, is best known for the nearby Yungang Grottoes, a Unesco World Heritage site, filled with ancient Buddhist art.
In recent years the authorities have tried to boost the city’s tourist potential by repairing and reconstructing sites in the old city, including the walls, dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
A commentary published on Thursday in Legal Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, condemned the act as “not just improper, but illegal” and criticised the authorities for prioritising aesthetics over legality.
It warned that such actions risked eroding public trust and reflected a broader problem where officials are more concerned with creating a good impression than genuine public service.
“A city’s lights should shine for its people, not at their expense,” the commentary concluded.
The central authorities have also warned officials against a one-size -fits-all approach to governance, where directives from the top are treated as absolute decrees and rigidly enforced no matter what the circumstances.


This approach – which can lead to incidents such as Datong’s forced festivities – was satirised during this year’s Spring Festival Gala on state television, the world’s most watched annual television event.
The show featured a skit in which a township government forces a noodle shop to keep its customers sitting outside in freezing weather just to create an illusion of economic vitality.


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Authorities in Chinese city break into shop to enforce Lunar New Year festive decree

Datong’s Lunar New Year latern display. Photo:Getty Images

Footage showed uniformed personnel breaking into the shop to turn on the lights. Photo: Weibo/Beijing News

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Politics

Officials in Datong apologise after firefighters break into a shop to turn on more lights to help create a holiday atmosphere in the old city


Officials in Datong apologise after firefighters break into a shop to turn on more lights to help create a holiday atmosphere in the old city.


Lunar New Year