A television news report about a foreigner setting off five tons of fireworks in Hunan during the Spring Festival holiday, was completely fabricated, authorities said on Saturday.
Video of a large fireworks display went viral online after it was broadcast as a news bulletin by Shenzhen TV during its news program at noon on Thursday. The news bulletin said that a foreign man spent 1 million yuan ($106,400) to buy 5 tons of fireworks he set off during the Spring Festival in order to fulfill his childhood dream.
The city government said the video used in the news bulletin was of a fireworks display put on in Liuyang, Hunan Province in the summer 2012 and was conducted by a Danish fireworks company, Royal Fireworks, according to Xinhua.
The video showed the area cloaked in a yellow haze after the fireworks spree. The news host said fireworks can cause air pollution and PM2.5 data to soar.
The video sparked a wave of online criticism with many Web users saying they had cut down on setting off fireworks for the sake of cleaner air, suggesting the foreigner was being disrespectful.
The local authority said the firework display seen in the video took place summer last year and the foreigners involved were professional fireworks technicians.
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