Entertainment locations in urban areas will be forced to stay away from major residential and working areas in the near future, sources with the Ministry of Culture said.

The measure aims to provide relatively quiet living and working environments for urban citizens.

Major entertainment units will be gathered at commercial areas or tourist attraction areas where the entertainment demands are relatively high, Liu Yuzhu, an official with the Marketing Department of the ministry.

He said neighboring citizens and companies would have a say in the final authorization process of the new entertainment centers.

If agreements cannot be reached in opening entertainment spots, local culture regulation departments would have the responsibility to call a public hearing before any decisions are made.

Liu said the hearing would provide an open opportunity for both sides to voice their points of view to local culture regulators.

To standardize the entertainment industry, the ministry will encourage the establishment of large-scale entertainment areas across the country.

Liu said the large-scale entertainment centers could satisfy various consumer demands better and it would also be easier for culture departments to implement monitoring and regulation.

Liu said his ministry would also tighten supervision on underage persons to prevent them from entering entertainment areas with age restrictions.

(China Daily August 8, 2002)