Dragon dancers, policemen clash

Eight people were injured when residents clashed with police officials on the eve of the traditional Lantern Festival in Guizhou province, because the local government banned dragon dance performances in the downtown area over safety reasons, Xinhua reported yesterday.

Dozens of dragon dancers, whose rehearsals were stopped by the urban inspectors, went to the county government complex on Sunday and clashed with police and government employees when they tried to perform the dance in protest, said officials of the local public security bureau of Dejiang in southwest China's Guizhou province.

A crowd of more than 2,000 residents then surrounded the local government building and the protest turned violent when police tried to stop the dance, Dejiang county Party chief Yang Pin told Xinhua.