Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-02-19
Chinese revelers may have the hard choice of deciding between protecting the environment or protecting tradition as they prepare fireworks displays for the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 19 this year.
A vendor sets off fireworks in front of his store in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, February 2013. (File photo/CNS) |
Chinese revelers may have the hard choice of deciding between protecting the environment or protecting tradition as they prepare fireworks displays for the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 19 this year.
But a man
from central China's Henan province has devised an invention that could allow
them to do both.
Wang
Xinming, an oil company employee, created a non-polluting firecracker to help
people protect the environment and enjoy a festive atmosphere at the same time.
"My
invention is not powered by explosives or electricity," the 29-year-old
Wang said,
Approved
for patent in July, the firecracker uses a closed cavity which can be injected
with air. Users then just need to press a button and the closed cavity will
immediately open a small hole, through which, compressed air will discharge and
produce an explosive sound.
It is more
beautiful than normal firecrackers. If customers need, the firecracker can emit
water mist and even fragrance, Wang said.
Chinese
people traditionally light firecrackers and fireworks during the Spring
Festival or Chinese Lunar New Year, based on the that the noise will fend off
evil spirits and bad luck.
However,
this tradition has been blamed for dust, sulfur dioxide and lingering smog in
recent years.
"My
firecracker is safe and environmentally friendly," Wang said. Although the
invention has not been mass produced, Wang sees great potential in the market.
It is
mainly produced from plastic. With the manufacturing cost reaching about 150
yuan (US$24) per unit, the selling price may be higher. But it can be
reused, Wang said.
"Some
ways of celebrating festivals may have drastic impact on our environment. If
Wang's invention can be mass produced, it's another way for us to fight
smog," said Chen Ying, a research fellow at the Institute for Urban and
Environmental Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
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