The year 2011 has been the 6th successive year since the 12-year ban on the setting off of firecrackers in Beijing was lifted in 2006 a result of public appeal to be more observant of traditional holiday customs.
There are of course pros and cons of setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year. Firecrackers and fireworks do add a lot to the festival atomosphere of spring festival. Also firecrackers are meant to scare away the evil spirits and misfortunes right at the start of the year. Chinese people hope to keep the coming year free from all evil.
But people are tortured with the noise pollution and mess. People’s eardrums burst, Pets are terrorized and the environment condition will be worsened.
No matter how deafening and sometimes fatal, firecrackers and fireworks willl be, they are nonetheless an essential element of China’s most important part of of Chinese New Year celebration, which falls on Feb 03 this year.
This year there are 1,852 outlets licensed selling fireworks in Beijing. There are only three authorized direct distributors of fireworks and they are Panda Fireworks, Yanlong Fireworks and Doudou Fireworks.
This is one of the retailor outlets of Panda Fireworks.
People select and buy fireworks and firecrackers at a retailor outlet of Panda Fireworks.
People are allowed to set off fireworks around the clock on Feb 2 and 3, and between the hours of 7 am and midnight from Feb 4 and 17, 2011. The fireworks and firecrackers erupt from every corner of the city on the midnight of Feb 02 ushering in the Chinese New Year.
The main streets in our communitiy are covered with tattered red-paper and cardboard casings from spent fireworks last night.
At 8:00am Feb 03, 2011, I see Sanitation workers are sweeping tons of fireworks debris of firecrackers ignited on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
China accounts for about 75 percent of the world’s total annual firecracker production