Beijing experiences less smoggy Lunar New Year

This past Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing was less polluted than previous years, thanks to favorable winds and fewer firework displays.

Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said Tuesday that over the 16-day period between New Year's Eve (Feb. 7) and Lantern Festival on Monday, which marks the end of the festival on the lunar calendar, the city experienced 11 clear days out of 16.

During the period, the city's average PM10 and PM2.5 readings stood at 73 and 59 micrograms per cubic meter, marking declines of 41 percent and 27 percent from the same period last year.

PM10 and PM2.5 are tiny particles smaller than 10 and 2.5 micrometers and major components of smog. The latter can penetrate deep into the lungs.

Zhang Dawei, director of Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, attributed the better air quality to favorable weather patterns and less pollution caused by fireworks.

Fireworks sales during the holiday slumped 9.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the fireworks office. The sales figure has been on the decline since 2012 as citizens were advised to reduce firework celebrations to avoid pollution.

Setting off fireworks and firecrackers during the Lunar New Year is a Chinese tradition but has sparked much controversy in recent years for its contribution to air pollution, especially in smog-dogged cities like Beijing. Endi