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Shanghai is toning down Chinese New Year celebrations by cancelling events and limiting people at tourist spots after a stampede killed 36 people seven weeks earlier.
Revellers, many of them young women, were trampled to death on New Year’s Eve after flocking to the historic riverfront, known as the Bund, a popular tourist destination.
Police on foot patrol and driving golf cart-like vehicles kept an eye on tourists who flocked to the Bund on Wednesday, the eve of the traditional festival.
Large stretches of the Bund remain closed off to the public by a temporary wall put up by the city shortly after the accident.
“Shanghai is safe. That was just a chance accident,” said one tourist from the southern province of Fujian, taking a group photo with family and friends near where the crush occurred.
In the wake of the accident, the Shanghai government has cancelled at least five events during the week-long holiday, including a food fair and traditional bell-ringing at the Longhua temple.
The city has also announced it will restrict the number of visitors at more than 70 tourist spots, including the viewing platform of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the flagship Shanghai Museum.
Restrictions on numbers have not been announced for the Bund, where the crush also injured 49 people. However, police and security guards were limiting access to an elevated promenade along the riverfront through just a few designated points.
“This kind of accident is common in China, everyone going in one direction without thinking,” said another tourist from central Henan province, who gave his surname as Chao. “The government is giving it lots of attention now.”
An investigative report blamed police and city officials, who were aware of overcrowding but failed to act and communicate the risk to higher-level authorities.
In January, the city announced that 11 officials would be punished, with four removed from their posts.
China’s State Council, or cabinet, has called on local governments nationwide to control large gatherings at tourist spots during the Chinese New Year.
At the Yu Garden, another tourist site located on the site of Shanghai’s former old city, metal barriers and security guards loudly blowing whistles kept the crowds in check.


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Shanghai New Year's Eve stampede

Shanghai to curtail Chinese New Year celebrations after deadly stampede

A police officer patrols along the promenade on the Bund. Photo: AFP


Ghost town: Beijing streets empty after workers head home for Lunar New Year

Traffic in Beijing is normally so bad that a hotel announced a helicopter service for guests earlier this year. Photo: Imaginechina

Subway trains which are normally packed with commuters now have plenty of space. Photo:Imaginechina

Unusually for Beijing, even the sky is blue and the air quality index is 'good' at 46. Photo: Imaginechina

Migrant workers in Beijing have left to go home for Lunar New Year, leaving the streets empty. Photo: Imaginechina

Beijing's traffic is so notoriously bad that in 2013, Chinese Internet users called it the 'capital of traffic jams'. That's not the case today. Photo: Imaginechina

Don't expect the clean air to last though: the air quality is supposed to get worse after new year's fireworks. Photo: Imaginechina

As migrant workers leave the city for the new year, anyone left is treated to the rare sight of empty roads.  Photo: Imaginechina

Clear roads are a treat for residents. In August 2010, a traffic jam lasted for ten days. Photo: Imaginechina

The Beijing subway normally has huge crowds, but even that is quiet today. Photo: Imaginechina

Some subway stations are almost deserted. Photo: Imaginechina

The empty business district will be flooded with crowds again once the new year holiday is over. Photo: Imaginechina

News

China

Shanghai is curbing Chinese New Year celebrations by cancelling events and limiting people at tourist spots after a stampede killed 36 people seven weeks earlier.


Lunar New Year