Fireworks lose spark ahead of New Year
Print Edition
The approaching Chinese Lunar New Year festivities used to mean big business for He Jianwu, senior executive of a fireworks manufacturing plant in central China’s Hunan Province.
However, an ongoing frugality campaign by the Chinese government and the lingering smog that has hit most parts of eastern and northern China this month have dealt him a heavy blow.
He is board chairman of Hunan Dream Fireworks Co Ltd, which has participated in many domestic art and music festivals in the past. So far this year, He has not received a single government call for bidding on fireworks shows.
A circular released in late November by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection urged officials not to buy fireworks with public funds during holidays.
Many local governments and enterprises have responded to the call and canceled their planned fireworks shows during the holidays.
During the one-week Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on January 31 in 2014, many Chinese normally set off fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate.
Essential part
Although fireworks-triggered accidents happen every year, many Chinese people do consider fireworks an essential part of their lives, especially on weddings and during the Chinese New Year.
Many Beijing residents still have fresh memories of a fireworks gala during the Lantern Festival in February 2009 at the landmark China Central Television building, which caused a fire that killed a firefighter and injured eight other people, including two firefighters.
“The domestic fireworks market has shrunk significantly as enterprises have been following the government’s call and have reduced their budgets for fireworks shows,” said Li Dingping, Party chief of the Liuyang Fireworks and Firecrackers Administration Bureau.
It is still uncertain if the huge fireworks inventories, which are significantly more than those in previous years, will be sold in the coming month, said Li.
Weather is another factor that will affect sales, he said.
“Many cities temporarily banned fireworks in the case of serious pollution in previous years,” he said. “It’s hard to tell the weather conditions during the Spring Festival.”
Liuyang in Hunan produces about 40 percent of China’s total fireworks and firecrackers.
Posts calling for people not to set off firecrackers during the upcoming festival are circulating on Chinese social media platforms, including the Twitter-like Sina Weibo, and on WeChat, a mobile text and voice messaging application.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
