Is the tradition of blooming flowers banned when it encounters the "haze" of thousands of years of customs?

Painted by Dong Wentao

"With the sound of firecrackers, the year ends, and the spring breeze sends warmth to Tusu." Welcoming the new year amidst crackling firecrackers is a folk custom that has been passed down for thousands of years in our country. However, due to days of smog that has locked the city, the controversy over restarting the "ban on release" has heated up again. For the sake of white clouds and blue skies, should we bid farewell to the "burning trees and silver flowers never sleep"? Faced with new doubts, where will ancient customs go?

Fog is on the city, fireworks are cold

"Everyone breathes together and shares a common destiny. Please boycott fireworks and firecrackers during the holidays this year." Before the festival, some netizens put forward such an initiative. According to an online poll, nearly 70% of netizens are in favor of banning fireworks.

Experimental data shows that the concentration of PM2.5 produced by setting off firecrackers is 5.4 times that of ordinary air, and can reach 66 times at its peak. "Is it important to be lively or to be healthy? If you don't let it go, it's all so polluting, so don't add to the trouble." Mr. Zhang, a Beijing citizen interviewed randomly by the reporter, said this. Mr. Zhang told reporters that his family had not set off fireworks for two or three years. Previously, it was because the children at home were very young and were worried about safety issues. This year, they responded to the government's call. "One is to be self-conscious, and the other is to advise relatives and friends around me to put less money. In addition to environmental protection, it can also save a lot of expenses." Mr. Zhang said,"And it's obvious that there are indeed much fewer flowers this year than in previous years, which shows that everyone has this awareness."

According to statistics, during the Spring Festival this year, the sales volume of fireworks and firecrackers in Beijing, Taiyuan and other places dropped by 40% to 60% compared with the same period last year. The total number of fireworks and the duration of centralized fireworks on New Year's Eve were significantly shorter than in previous years. From New Year's Eve to 9:00 on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Beijing cleared a total of 1,586.39 tons of fireworks and firecrackers, a decrease of 155.61 tons from the same period in 2012.

Some media believe that this smog also provides the government and the public with a perspective to re-examine the traditional folk custom of setting off fireworks and firecrackers. This air pollution has also taught citizens a lesson. The government should take advantage of the situation and make fireworks completely withdraw from the city's sky. But on the other hand, opposition to a comprehensive ban is also strong. "Now that the flavor of New Year is getting weaker and weaker, even this tradition has to be broken, and this fun has to be deprived of it?" Some netizens raised doubts.

The Spring Festival has just passed, and smog is on the rise in some areas. The people are confused about whether to let go of the Lantern Festival or not. Whether to ban or not has also posed a problem for relevant departments.

Abandoning food because of choking may attract cultural "haze"

"If a comprehensive ban starts now, it will be a turning back." Hu Xiaowei, a researcher at China Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with reporters that it was originally the Beijing City government promulgated and implemented the "Regulations on the Prohibition of Setting off Fireworks and Firecraft" in 1993, learning from the so-called Singapore experience and prohibiting Beijingers from setting off firecrackers during the Spring Festival. Only by 2005 will the "ban" be changed to "restricted" and citizens will be allowed to set off firecrackers at specified times and areas will citizens be able to celebrate the Spring Festival with the flavor of the New Year.

"The shift from prohibition to restriction is actually what the people want. Traditional festivals and customs have lasted for such a long time and have their profound cultural connotations and cultural foundations." Hu Xiaowei said.

"During the New Year, everyone pursues a festival that is sound, colorful, tasteful and atmospheric. If you can't hear the sound of firecrackers, you will not get used to it. Banning firecrackers is not in line with the Chinese nation's holiday mentality." Xiao Fang, a professor at the School of Liberal Arts at Beijing Normal University and vice president of the China Festival Research Association, said that fireworks and firecrackers are an important symbol of China's folk culture, and people express their wishes for peace, happiness and beauty in the process of setting off firecrackers.

Setting off firecrackers during the New Year is indeed easy to cause pollution and losses, but it is by no means an important reason for air pollution and rising PM2.5. A study recently released by the Special Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences "Tracing and Control of Atmospheric Haze" concluded that man-made pollution emissions such as motor vehicles and coal burning are the "masterminds" of causing haze weather.

"It is biased to simply equate flowers with smog pollution. Moreover, the smog for many days this time appeared as early as before the festival." Hu Xiaowei believes that the contradiction between firecrackers pollution and folk customs does not exist until today. It is just that with the improvement of people's awareness of environmental protection and their own safety awareness, especially the inclusion of PM2.5 in Beijing's daily air monitoring and the long-term harassment of smog weather, firecrackers This pollution source naturally arouses people's consideration and attention to traditional folk customs.

Xiao Fang also said in an interview with the media that if ancient customs are banned in order to control smog, it will undoubtedly create a humanistic "haze". How to deal with the haze of nature and humanity will test the wisdom of government management.

Continuing customs requires rational guidance

"A one-size-fits-all ban is obviously not feasible. To completely eliminate thousands of years of cultural tradition is a disrespect for tradition and a distortion of scientific development. One of the possible side effects during the implementation process is that there are more illegal discharges, safety and environmental protection are less guaranteed, and law enforcement costs have increased." Hu Xiaowei suggested that the setting off of fireworks and firecrackers should not only limit the time and place, but also the types of fireworks and firecrackers.

"Of course, folk customs must also be adjusted with the times and comply with public opinion. However, it is meaningless to simply struggle between banning or releasing it. It is still necessary to balance the advantages and disadvantages of all aspects." Hu Xiaowei told reporters,"Cultural customs are people-oriented. This person is both a scientific person and a cultural person. From a policy perspective, we must not only take care of our feelings about traditional customs, but also use more scientific methods to conduct rational counseling."

Some experts suggest that we should increase innovation in fireworks and firecrackers production technology, ban the use of high explosives and dangerous explosives, actively support production companies to produce environmentally friendly electronic fireworks and protocol fireworks, and encourage scientific research institutions to develop alternatives to fireworks and firecrackers. In addition, it is necessary to plan fireworks and firecrackers display areas according to local conditions.

"We must not only control moderately in the city, but also respect tradition." Xiao Fang pointed out that "improving the technological content of firecrackers and reducing pollution" is the way to continue this custom.

Editor: Yang Xi)