Out Without a Bang: With New Ban, Beijing Closes the Door on All CNY Fireworks
Beijing is officially banning fireworks in all parts of the city from Jan 1, bringing to a close a decades-old Lunar New Year tradition for the capital.
That means not only a ban on lighting them off but also a full ban on all fireworks retailing in all parts of the city for Spring Festival 2022.
The only exception to the city-wide ban is at Universal Studios Resort, which will be permitted to hold fireworks displays over the holiday. Any other organization hoping to flex its pyrotechnic muscles must apply for special permission from the city government.
Beijing has been on the path to a full fireworks ban for more than a decade now. While the tradition has been part and parcel of new year's celebrations for generations, from the 2000s it started to get a bit out of hand: As the city's wealth and population increased, Beijing had become a veritable battlefield of explosions small and large. It was not uncommon to hear bone-rattling explosions 24 hours a day during certain periods of the Chinese New Year Holiday.
The straw that broke the camel's back came in 2009, when the building directly north of CCTV Headquarters in Guomao caught fire due to an unauthorized fireworks display near the building.
Since then, even though you could still find fireworks here and there (a few came dangerously close to exploding in the face of this editor back in 2012) supply has slowly been conscricted since the 2009 incident. This was achieved by limiting the total number of retail spots for fireworks, which originally could be found in specially-built temporary streetside stalls on nearly every corner.
At the same time, Beijing began restricting the use of fireworks in certain areas of the city, namely in exculsionary zones around schools and hospitals. Eventually the restrictions were expanded to a blanket ban on all areas within the 5th Ring Road by 2021.
But even that didn't fully prevent people from using fireworks outside the 5th Ring, nor did it prevent some Beijingers from venturing past city limits into Hebei province where they would freely buy and set off fireworks.
A few cities in Hebei have enacted restrictions on the sale or lighting of fireworks this year, making it an increasingly less viable option. Tack on COVID-19 travel restrictions and the desire for a clean-air Olympics, and don't be surprised to find these regulations extended to Beijing's border cities.
The clampdown coincides with a police crackdown on illegally made – aka fake – fireworks, as Beijing Daily reported that enforcement is already underway, with 42 people arrested and 4,392 boxes of illegal fireworks already confiscated.
To ensure the ban is strictly followed, the city has unveiled a hotline for reporting rule breakers or the discovery of stored boxes of fireworks. Simply call 110 or 6207 4289 to report, and you are eligible to receive a reward of up to RMB 20 per box of fireworks recovered, with rewards going up to RMB 20,000 in total.
While it's a bit unfortunate that this longtime Beijing tradition is quickly fizzling with the impending ban, keep an eye out for events at Universal and around the city – if more events are approved leading up to Lunar New Year, that is.
READ: Fireworks Were Banned, So What Was With the CNY Smog?
Images: peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn, CBS News, Gizmodo Australia, Caixin Global
