More than 300 people were injured by fireworks in Beijing during the Lunar New Year holiday despite a long-standing ban in the capital.
Fireworks and firecrackers are an integral part of new year celebrations around the country, with the loud explosions intended to ward off evil spirits, but since 1994 they have been banned in Beijing and other major cities for safety reasons.
One exception is Shanghai, which abandoned the widely ignored order.
A report in the Xinhua Internal Reference section - articles ordered for senior officials' study but not for public subscription or view - said authorities were concerned about the rise in public disobedience, with people defying the ban.
They warned it might be a sign of increasing anti-government sentiment.
The report said that despite public security departments and fire services striving to close illegal fireworks factories and distribution outlets in Beijing, a huge number of fireworks and firecrackers had entered the capital via underground channels.