中国没有城市照明法规

Unlike developed countries such as the US or Germany, the Chinese government has no laws to regulate excessive lighting. There are only guidelines for where lights should be installed and when they should be turned off, which have been set up by regional environmental bureaus.

Our Reporter Guan Yang reports on how light pollution is affecting residents in Shenyang city, the capital of Liaoning province.

These flashing LED screens are becoming an increasing concern for drivers in Shenyang. The strong lights have led to distraction on the road and even accidents.

"I was driving towards the intersection there. Suddenly an extreme strong light appeared on the LED screen. I lost my vision completely, and then hit the car in front.” Shenyang resident Wei Zhiyou said.

The bright commercial lights are also a problem for residents living nearby. They have trouble sleeping, as the strong neon lights shine through their bedroom windows. It’s a problem in many residential development areas.

"The LED screen next to our bedroom window stays on throughout the whole night. It’s impossible for us to sleep unless we close the curtains.” Shenyang resident Han Ying said.

Medical research has proven that excessive light causes a number of adverse health effects; including headaches, stress, and anxiety. Eye disease is also more commonly found in urban residents compared with country residents.

"The eye is very similar to a camera. The lens focuses the light onto a piece of film, when you try to capture an extreme bright light, it will burn the CCD in the camera.” Heshi Ophthalmology Hospital Vice Dean Lu Shan said.

The Chinese central government is shifting focus from pure GDP to a higher quality, "greener" growth. There’ve already been tough new measures on tackling air, water and soil pollution, but the road towards a better environment is long and wide, controlling excessive urban lighting is one of the new frontlines, in the battle to make China a better place to live.