Where to Buy Fireworks and Set Them Off in Beijing for Chinese New Year
Get ready, Beijing, because the 10-day window in which you can legally buy fireworks rapidly approaches! This year, fireworks will be available for sale between Jan 19 and Jan 29, and you'll need to present identification in order to buy them. That's the easy part however as this year, there are only 23 authorized fireworks stores scattered across rural Beijing, down 37.8 percent compared to 2019 and far fewer than the record 511 stores in 2017.
With the government's ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution and increasingly strict laws around fireworks in general (a good thing in our mind), the options for where to buy and set off fireworks in the capital are few and far between compared to what they used to be, even during Spring Festival. That being said, all is not lost should you want to celebrate the old fashioned way: by blowing stuff up.
Where to buy fireworks in Beijing
Most authorized stores are located in Fangshan and Miyun districts, which is not surprising given that these are also the areas in which you are legally allowed to set off fireworks. If you make the trek out, we recommend that you ask the firework store laoban for advice about where you can actually set off your newly purchased cracker. Read below for more specifics on where you definitely shouldn't be setting off your explosives.
Where you definitely shouldn't set them off
Setting off fireworks has been outlawed within the Fifth Ring Road for several years now, meaning that it's easier to list the places that you definitely can't set off fireworks than where you can. As well as the entire center of the city, a few more so-called rural areas have also recently been designated firework no-no zones. These include central Tongzhou, which has been newly defined as a Beijing sub-center, and the entirety of Daxing District since the new airport has also ushered in a new era of air safety laws.
Additionally, being in a firework-go zone does not guarantee that you can just light them anywhere. Restrictions also apply if you are in the vicinity of the following:
- Cultural heritage sights
- Gas stations or other locations that store explosive or flammable materials
- Transportation hubs like train stations
- Hospital, schools, and universities
- Power stations and transformers
- Forests, gardens and wooded areas
- Radio and television stations
- Construction sites
- Multi-story parking lots
- Any other locations which are difficult to access for emergency services
So where exactly can you set off fireworks? Again, it's best to ask a firework seller for advice, and if in doubt, look around for any other locals getting firecracker crazy and follow their lead.
Finally, don't forget that the municipal government always retains the right to stop the sale and setting off of fireworks at any time, such as when orange or red air pollution warnings are issued by the Beijing Metrological Service.
Happy blasting, Beijing!
READ: US Embassy Warns US Citizens to be Vigilant of Security Risks in China
Image: Neatorama, Sohu, Bendibao
