Air quality concerns lead to fewer Chinese New Year’s fireworks

Chinese New Year fireworks in Hong Kong in 2012 (Credit: Scotted400, via Wikimedia Commons)

Revelers in China celebrating the Year of the Horse didn’t set off as many fireworks as usual, according to National Public Radio. This follows severe pollution that affected much of the country in 2013.

In December, the smog-filled air broke records for poor air quality. In a survey that followed, more than 85 percent of Chinese said they wouldn’t buy fireworks for the Chinese New Year celebration.

The change is a stark one when compared to celebrations of the past and considering the love affair the culture has with the workings of gunpowder. It invented fireworks in the 7th century.

Image: Chinese New Year fireworks in Hong Kong in 2012 (Credit: Scotted400, via Wikimedia Commons)