Gas cylinder enterprises in Xiamen, Fujian province, have been forbidden to provide 50-kilogram liquefied gas steel cylinders to small-and-medium-sized catering places, according to a new policy promulgated by Xiamen Municipal Works and Gardens Administration Bureau on Nov 26.

Small-and-medium-sized catering places refer to restaurants under 500 square meters and the steel cylinders include gas, liquid and gas-liquid dual valve cylinders.

50 kg steel cylinders need an independent room, which is inadequate for most small-and-medium-sized restaurants. Even with an area of over 500 square meters, restaurants are not allowed to use the 50 kg cylinders without an independent room for them.

Xiamen eliminated gas-liquid dual valve cylinders in small-and-medium-sized restaurants in October, and the new policy facilitates the regulation of the catering industry in Xiamen.

By Zhai Song and edited by Brian Salter