Revellers in face masks setting off fireworks sparks rethink of ritual
Sight of revellers in face masks firing off crackers prompts questioning of need for ancient tradition
The spectacle of Beijingers wearing face masks as they set off firecrackers in smog-choked streets at the start of the Lunar New Year led many to ask themselves a question: is the noisy custom appropriate, given the mainland's deteriorating air quality?
When Beijing Evening News reporters interviewed local residents in a neighbourhood in the capital's Fengtai district on February 9, they asked one reveller why he continued to set off fireworks when the smog was bad enough to warrant a mask.
He replied that the fireworks added to the festivities."I couldn't care less about air pollution," he said.
Another resident, in Xicheng district, told the paper it was"a turn-off" to talk about air quality during the holiday, as it was the only time of the year residents could have fun with fireworks.
"Our air quality hinges upon the activities in the rest of the year," she said.
That view, however, did not square with official data. The level of health-threatening PM2.5 particles - those less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter that can lodge deep inside people's lungs or their bloodstream - rose drastically in Beijing on Lunar New Year's Eve, from about 150 micrograms per cubic metre at 5pm to about 550 at 11pm. Anything above 300 is deemed "hazardous" by the mainland authorities, and overall air quality that day was ranked "heavily polluted".