Fireworks limits let cities breathe easier

People who believe fireworks are an essential part of the Spring Festival celebration have found it more challenging to get them or find a location to set them off in major Chinese cities this year. That is because more regions have imposed harsher bans or restrictions on fireworks for reasons of safety and environmental protection.

Aside from big metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, more cities like Tianjin and Nanjing have begun to impose or expand restrictions during this year's Spring Festival.

Some may miss the days when city skylines burst into multicolored light on midnight of Lunar New Year's Eve after families got together to set off fireworks to ward off the New Year's legendary monster. But many are happy that they aren't forced to endure the poor air quality caused by fireworks and can sleep better without the explosions of fireworks that were sometimes likened to the sounds of a war zone.