Are fireworks losing their festive spark?

Beijing might not be quite so noisy this Spring Festival, after some locals said they may not buy fireworks due to concern over worsening the bad air.

"Smog is one of the reasons I won't let off fireworks this year. The environment is bad already, I don't want to make it worse," said He Shaoqing, 50, a resident in Haidian district.

"And it's too noisy. I think this way of celebrating festivals is dying out gradually," he said.

Some said they would still light a few firecrackers.

"We set off two strings of firecrackers, one on New Year's Eve, the other on Lantern Festival. It adds to the festival atmosphere," said Deng Shuang, 26, of Chaoyang district.

"But I'm against those who set off a lot of fireworks, it will definitely worsen the already bad air," she added.

Lang Jinghe, 24, who live is Haidian district, agreed.

"As I grew up, I wasn't that enthusiastic about it. Being with my family is what matters most," said Lang.

During last year's Spring Festival, in the 15-day period from New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival, one person died and 271 people in Beijing were injured by fireworks, and 192 fires were caused, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Feb 7, 2012.

Beijing Administration of Work Safety said the number of fireworks retailers has been decreasing for three consecutive years. Fireworks can be sold from February 5 this year.

The decrease from 2011's 1,800 to this year's 1,350 shops is because Beijing citizens' willingness to set off fireworks has been decreasing out of concern for safety and the environment, an official from the Beijing fireworks office told the Beijing Daily Wednesday.