Beijing's public security authorities have set aside 800,000 yuan (about 100,000 U.S. dollars) to reward those who report to police illegal firecrackers lighting during the upcoming Spring Festival, China's Lunar New, which falls on Jan. 29 this year.

This year's Spring Festival is the first Lunar New year during which Beijingers are allowed to light firecrackers in designated areas after the festive activity was banned in the Chinese capital for 13 years since 1993.

The Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress adopted new rules, namely the Beijing Municipal Regulations on Firecrackers Safety Management, in September last year to replace the Regulations Banning Firecrackers during Spring Festival and other festivals, which was enacted in 1993. The new rules eased firecrackers ban during the Spring Festival and other festivals through out the year.

Many Beijingers are delighted to hear the news of easing firecrackers ban.

To guarantee the safety of the life and property of local people, Beijing police would crack down on activities involving lighting firecrackers in areas where firecrackers are banned or at anytime when firecrackers are banned, said Li Runhua, head of the public security squadron of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

People who report illegal firecracker lightings would be rewarded, Li said.

Meanwhile, Beijing police have also intensified examinations at road junctions and traffic inspection stops, trying to block shoddy firecrackers from entering Beijing.

Booms of firecrackers during the Spring Festival, which often falls in January and February, mark the end of a passing year, or "Guonian" as the Chinese refer to it. Traditionally, firecrackers are believed to chase away demons, especially on Lunar New Year's Eve. This tradition has been passed on from generation to generation for centuries in China.

Source: Xinhua