China Introduces “Quiet Fridays” to Combat Rising Complaints Over Government Noise

By Radio Free Asia Staff – May 8, 2025

Beijing, China — In an unexpected move aimed at reducing citizen complaints about “political noise pollution,” Chinese authorities have announced a new initiative dubbed Quiet Fridays, mandating a one-day pause on patriotic broadcasts, anti-Western commentary, and Xi Jinping Thought study sessions in select provinces.

The policy, trialed in Sichuan, Heilongjiang, and parts of Inner Mongolia, is reportedly intended to “restore mental harmony” after a leaked internal survey showed 63% of urban residents had begun using earplugs during state TV news hours.

“We are not banning patriotism,” said a spokesperson for the National Public Morality Council during a muted press briefing. “We are merely giving it a day of dignified silence.”

Citizens have reacted with a mix of confusion and quiet relief. A middle-school teacher in Chengdu, speaking anonymously, said, “It feels like being allowed to take a breath after shouting slogans for hours.”

Sources say the policy may have been influenced by recent online posts — swiftly deleted — in which netizens created memes comparing loudspeaker propaganda to “verbal pollution on a megaphone loop.”

In addition to suspending state media’s usual programming, Quiet Fridays encourage civil servants to whisper instead of speak in work meetings and require the lowering of all Xi Jinping portraits by five inches “to allow space for quiet reflection.”

International observers are split on the policy’s intent. While some view it as a soft acknowledgment of public fatigue, others speculate it’s part of a larger strategy to monitor how citizens behave in a propaganda-free vacuum.

Human rights advocates, meanwhile, caution against optimism. “Today it's 'Quiet Fridays.’ Tomorrow it could be ‘Silent Obedience Sundays,’” said an RFA analyst. “Still, for a government that plays the national anthem before lunch, this is a start.”

No timetable has been given for the program's national expansion. Officials are reportedly measuring its success based on the volume of public whispering and the rate of meme generation.