Farmers in northern China have been known to use gongs to keep sparrows away from their grain, while for fishermen in the south the clapping of a gong is the signal that the ship is about to leave port.
北方旱地的農民曾群起以鑼聲來嚇走啄食農作的麻雀；南方行船的人，聽到鑼聲若響，就知道船要離港了。