Chao Bai (Southern Daily): Square dancing is often seen in China. It is a way for senior ladies to have fun.

However, the cultural and legal environment is quite different in the United States. These ladies did affect other people's lives. We feel sorry for what they have done in New York, and hope our compatriots planning to go and live abroad learn to respect local ways of life.

Li Xianzi (Yanzhao Evening News): There exists a big gap between Western and Oriental culture. Square dancing, which is very common in Chinese communities, seems to be resisted in the United States.

We can't complain that people from other nations are too picky with regards to these ladies. In many cities, seniors like to gather and dance at night, which ensures joy, health and entertainment.

However, every coin has two sides. Such dancing, however innocent, can easily disturb public peace. We have seen incidents on the Internet where conflicts broke out between residents who could no longer bear the noise. Noisy square dancing has become a common social concern in many Chinese cities, but the authorities have paid little attention to it.

In the United States, locals often solve such problems via legal means.

Hu Shui (www.life.caixun.com): In China, it's unimaginable that senior ladies taking part in square dancing would be sent to court for disturbing the peace.

Many Chinese love exciting, busy and festive occasions. People tend to express their happiness through setting off firecrackers and through dance. You may see it as an optimistic side of the Chinese national character. However, we have to admit that some people tend to neglect public order while enjoying themselves.

Square dancing is a form of entertainment and physical exercise, which is a good thing. However, many of us might have had the following experiences: You want to sleep late into noon on weekend mornings, but find it impossible because the senior citizens are dancing since the early hours, making a lot of noise. Sometimes, you want to have a rest or talk with friends in a quiet park, only to be interrupted repeatedly by music associated with group dancing.

Is it all right for senior citizens to dance in public? And when should they be allowed to do so? This is a rather controversial topic. However, due to cultural differences, this habit has already affected New York residents.

Whatever your choice of entertainment, it is important not to affect other people's lives. Square dancing is only one of many activities during which people should mind their behavior.

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A Letter from the Reader:

The Right to Square Dance

It's common to see groups of ladies dance together in squares in China. Senior women, especially those who have retired, tend to use square dancing as an opportunity to socialize and have fun in their twilight years. Recently, the news that some Chinese immigrants in the United States had been accused of disturbing the peace by dancing in a park shocked me. Local residents even called the police. This event triggered heated discussion in China. (Should Square Dancing Be Stopped in Public, Issue 50, December 12, 2013)

In my opinion, it's necessary to stop square dancing. The most important reason is that it interrupts normal people's lives. There is a square in front of my home which is used by people to play sports such as badminton and basketball. However, sometimes it's occupied by a group of ladies who do square dancing. No one blames them for their behavior because square dancing might be the only way for them to enrich their life. But the fact is that the music disturbs me after dinner. Sometimes I can't stand it, so I leave the house to escape.

There is no instant solution to this problem. After all, this lifestyle has been formed by the accumulation of Chinese culture. The government should play a leading role in solving this problem. Establishing more entrainment infrastructure is the best way. In addition to this, seniors could also come to change their lifestyle and have fun in other ways.

Meng Fanzhi, Tianjin Foreign Studies University