Never throw anything from balconies or windows — cigarette butts, trash bags, and bottles all count
Throwing objects from a building to the ground below, as long as it may hurt someone or break something, even if it doesn't hit anyone, you can be detained for up to 5 days or fined, and in serious cases, you can be detained for 10 to 15 days. If you hit someone, you'll be charged with another crime: Someone threw a wine bottle and glass from the building after drinking on the 21st floor, hitting a 13-year-old student and causing serious injuries. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Another person threw 8 bricks from the 32nd floor and killed one person. The death penalty was approved in 2024.
This costs nothing and takes no time at all. Simply bring…
Throwing objects down from upstairs or another height, whenever there is a risk of injuring people, damaging p…
This costs nothing and takes no time at all. Simply bring cigarette butts, trash bags, and bottles indoors and toss them in the household trash bin; never throw them out of windows or from balconies.
Throwing objects down from upstairs or another height, whenever there is a risk of injuring people, damaging property, or endangering public safety, can bring detention for under 5 days or a fine of up to 1000 yuan. When circumstances are serious, detention for 10 to 15 days, with a further fine of up to 1000 yuan. When circumstances are serious enough for the crime of throwing objects from a height, up to 1 year, with a fine imposed together with or instead of imprisonment (sentenced and fined, or only fined). Injuring or killing someone is handled under heavier charges. Official case: Li, drunk on the 21st floor, threw empty bottles and glass cups onto a playground below, seriously injured a 13-year-old student at level 2 serious injury, and was sentenced to 10 years for endangering public safety by dangerous means. Zhou threw 8 bricks from the 32nd floor into a crowd and killed 1 person; in 2024 the Supreme People’s Court approved the death sentence (nationwide)
全国人大常委会 (2025). 治安管理处罚法（2025 年修订，第四十三条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml；全国人大常委会 (2020). 刑法修正案（十一）（第三十三条，即刑法第二百九十一条之二）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/zdgz/202012/t20201227_503682.shtml；全国人大 (2020). 刑法（根据刑法修正案（十一）修正，第二百九十一条之二）. https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html；最高人民法院 (2024). 依法惩治危害公共安全犯罪典型案例（案例一）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/429522.html；最高人民法院 (2025). 专访最高法副院长李勇：让高空抛物行为人都能被处罚. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/458381.html
Open source linkDetention can be imposed even if no one is harmed, as the law only requires proof of a potential risk. The Civil Code also contains a separate provision on civil compensation related to objects thrown from heights (Article 1254). At the time of writing, we were unable to access the original legal texts, so no direct citations are included here.