Licensed street performers give cities character

CHENGDU, capital of Southwestern China's Sichuan province, recently issued an announcement for openly "auditioning" street performers. Those who pass the tests will receive permits to perform. Gmw.cn comments:

How to regulate street artists? That has long been a question for local governments. On the one hand, a modern city should accept the presence of these street performers and allow them to make a living. On the other hand, residents feel their normal life order is disturbed if there are too many street artists and they are not managed in an orderly day.

The move of the local government in Chengdu strikes a balance between their interests. By recruiting the street artists and issuing permits to them based on their auditions, the local government has both protected the legal rights of the street artists and maintained the normal order of the city.