Fireworks are now banned in the Outer Ring Road of Shanghai in line with new regulations effective on Jan. 1, Friday.
The new regulations were implemented because Shanghai is struggling with air pollution, ECNS reported. The regulations prohibit people from lighting firecrackers anywhere inside Shanghai's Outer Ring Road.
Locals are not allowed to have their traditional festival fun on the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday in February. Lighting fireworks is also prohibited even in weddings held inside the Outer Ring Road.
Locals who disobey the new regulations will be fined up to 500 yuan ($77.5) per violation, or they may face criminal charges depending on the results of their violations.
Meanwhile, electric firecrackers sellers benefited from the ban on fireworks, according to Shanghai Daily. E-firecrackers are an alternative for firecrackers that mimics the gleam and sound of the traditional counterparts. Because they don't produce smoke, they are eco-friendly.
A worker from an electric firecracker store said that most of their customers were from Shanghai.
"There has been a significant jump in sales in Shanghai since January 1. We sell between 40 to [sic] 50 electric firecrackers daily in Shanghai," the worker said.
Search figures for e-firecrackers on Taobao, China's largest online shopping platform, rose by 36.6 percent.
With the firecracker ban and the eco-friendliness of e-firecrackers, huge demand for the latter is expected for the Lunar New Year.