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January 20, 2015

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

In blast at tradition, city restricts fireworks

By Wu Huixin | January 20, 2015, Tuesday | Print Edition

HANGZHOU is cracking down on holiday fireworks, limiting their use and sale. Residents in the downtown area will be prohibited from setting off fireworks on the fifth day of the lunar New Year, normally a climactic pyrotechnic day during China’s biggest holiday as people traditionally welcome the God of Fortune with fireworks and firecrackers.

This year, citizens are allowed to set off fireworks and firecrackers only on lunar New Year’s Eve, the first day of the lunar New Year and Lantern Festival (February 18, 19 and March 5, respectively), the city government announced last month.

The government also strictly stipulated fireworks’ quality, sale, use and the locations where they can be set off. Excluded sites include protected historical buildings, schools, government department buildings and other public areas related to security.

The government set up a hotline (12350) for people to provide tips. Citizens will be rewarded if they help authorities find illicit pyrotechnics. Those who act against the law will be fined and might be detained if the infringement is severe.

To strengthen public security during Spring Festival and prohibit poor quality fireworks from entering the market, the government also cut the number of fireworks producers to three and will allow people to buy them only from eligible outlets between February 16 and 19.

The announcement was made in response to the heavy air pollution and public safety problems in recent years. The Hangzhou government reduced the allowable days for lighting fireworks from 18 in 2013 to four in 2014, which resulted in an 82 percent plunge in fireworks sales. This year, the days are cut down to three.

Thanks to the restriction of fireworks, PM2.5 pollutants — particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that are especially harmful — were much lower during the 2014 lunar New Year than the corresponding period of 2013. The city enjoyed its most refreshing seven-day Spring Festival holiday, with four out of seven days reported to have good or excellent air quality.

Contrarily, on the eve of 2013 Chinese New Year, the PM2.5 index soared to 297 micrograms per cubic meter around midnight due to pollutants released by fireworks and firecrackers.

When ignited, fireworks release oxynitride and oxysulphide — compounds similar to motor vehicle emissions — creating hazy metallic elements such as potassium, aluminum, iron and cesium. These are poisonous and more harmful than dust.

In 2012, the Hangzhou government canceled the annual fireworks show that had been held for 10 years and also began to limit fireworks in the downtown area. The restriction, in addition to cleaning up the air, eased the burden on street cleaners. Last year, they picked up 113 tons of fireworks and firecracker debris following celebrations on lunar New Year’s Eve, 22 percent less than 2013.

Fireworks could be seen all over the city to mark the arrival of God of Fortune on the fifth day of the lunar New Year. In Chinese mythology, the god comes down from heaven on that day to bring people good fortune.

According to tradition, the more fireworks and firecrackers that are set off, the more fortune people can get. Therefore, the fifth day has always been the climax of lighting fireworks over lunar New Year.

This year, the fireworks ban on the fifth day is expected to cut by a great deal of the overall quantity of fireworks and firecrackers being detonated over Spring Festival.

Dating back 2,000 years, Chinese people started to set fire to bamboo tubes to make a bang, hoping the noise would fend off evil spirits and bad luck. When gunpowder was invented, Chinese people created firecrackers to replace bamboo tubes.

The fireworks spree begins on the lunar New Year’s Eve and ends on Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is the main period for Chinese people to consume fireworks and firecrackers.

However, residents’ enthusiasm for fireworks in lunar New Year has waned over the years. Fireworks sales have been reported down as people become concerned about air pollution and fire hazards.

Last year, 18 fires were reported during weeklong Spring Festival holiday in Hangzhou’s downtown area, according to Zhejiang TV Station reports. In most cases, the fire ignited when sparks from misdirected fireworks flew into an apartment through an open window or ignited flammable goods on the balcony.

In an online survey on web portal tencent.com, 54 percent of respondents said they would not set off fireworks or firecrackers during lunar New Year.

“Igniting fireworks is an old-fashioned custom, which releases pollution to environment, wastes money and disturbs others,” wrote a netizen named Luo Xue Wu Sheng.

“Hangzhou should learn from Guangzhou, which bans fireworks all year,” added a netizen named Old Baby.

Nonetheless, 47 percent of respondents said they would adhere to customs and light fireworks, which they noted is part of Chinese New Year tradition and adds festival ambience to lunar New Year.

“Cooking also releases smog. Does that mean we should stop cooking at home?” asked a netizen named Wang Zhong Ren.

Hangzhou


 

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