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Beijingers support lift of firecracker ban
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-01-29 10:38
Eighty-one percent of respondents to a recent survey in Beijing declared
their support for removal of the ban on firecrackers during the Spring Festival,
which began on Sunday.
Last September, Beijing lifted a 12-year ban on fireworks, allowing residents
to set off fire-crackers in designated areas during the Lunar New Year and other
important festivals.
Among the 300 Beijing residents that were interviewed, 95 percent said they
were aware of the change, according to a report published by the Social Survey
Institute of China, a former government institution, on Sunday.
"Those in favour of removing the ban said the fireworks should be preserved
because it is part of traditional Chinese culture, while those against the
removal said the fireworks make noise, pollute the air and are a potential for
fire risk," the report said.
Safety is the biggest issue accounted for, as 73 percent of the respondents
said that they will buy firecrackers and fireworks from franchisers.
According to the survey, more than 90 percent of the respondents said they
will spend less than 500 yuan (62.5 U.S. dollars) on fire-crackers.
"The policy change is redeeming people's excitement and appetite for the New
Year," the report concluded.
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