Fireworks adds to festival happiness
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-05 08:09

As the Spring Festival holiday wraps up, Chinese people have spent the national week-long holiday in a peaceful and delighted atmosphere.

"It's the best Spring Festival I have ever had in a decade. The splutter of firecrackers has delivered a Chinese New Year with stronger traditional flavor, but it is also the safest New Year festival," said a local resident surnamed Guo in Dongcheng District of Beijing.

Responding to the public request, Beijing lifted a 13-year-old ban on firecrackers this year, allowing residents to set off firecrackers and fireworks in designated areas.

The number of small fires caused by firecrackers rose slightly compared with last year, but no big fire, death or serious injury were reported as of Thursday, said Li Wei, head of the Beijing Municipal Office for Firecrackers Management.

Li ascribed the satisfying safety record to the obedience of local residents to relevant regulations as well as the proper governmental management.

Over 4,000 firemen were on duty on Lunar New Year's Eve, the first and the fifth day of the New Year. Another 150,000 fire control volunteers were also staying alert and the police patrolling vehicles are equipped with fire-fighting facilities.

The fireworks did not pose a threat to the city sanitation either. In the wee hours, over 10,000 workers were cleaning in the streets and alleys of the national capital every day during the festival.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau also reported that no major criminal cases had happened during the festival.

The bureau said about 150,000 police worked in the holiday to strengthen patrolling. Another 460,000 local residents were involved in various kinds of efforts to maintain social order.

The capital city has also successfully ensured food safety. According to statistics from the municipal food safety office, 52,648 inspections have been carried out from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, seizing 892 unlawful business conducts.

The city's two consumer hot-lines have received less complaints than last year. The total number of complaints stood at 99, down 27.21 percent over the same period of 2005. Among which, 40 cases are concerning electronic appliances.

Feb. 4 marks the last day of the New Year Holiday, statistics from the National Holiday Office showed that only one accident, killing three domestic tourists in southwest China's Yunnan Province has been reported. The office received 135 tourist complaints, dropping 21 percent from the same period of last year.

The office's latest travel information bulletin reveals that most travelers are on their way back and no major travelers holding-up or stranding cases have been reported.

The National Bureau of Statistics and the National Tourism Administration forecasted a 10 percent rise in the number of traveler reception and the earnings of the tourism sector respectively over the same period of last year.