Heavy air pollution recently hit many places in north China. It inspired a heated debate over whether officials should ban the use of fireworks, which is a tradition of Lunar New Year celebrations.

Bloggers have responded with much divergence on the issue.

For:

@ Jiang Nan Mi Mi: Fireworks should already have been banned. They are dangerous and can cause a lot of noise in addition to scattered paper rubbish and air pollution. Do you know how much fireworks rubbish sanitation workers have to clean up every year during the Spring Festival?

Against:

@ Chou Mi Zi Mao Miao: What's the fun of Spring Festival if setting off fireworks is banned? The government should put more emphasis on how to control coal combustion, the fuel quality and polluting factories. These are the major factors of air pollution instead of a few days of a fireworks spree.

@ bluedd: Fireworks should not be banned. It's a tradition that needs to be preserved. But we can set off fireworks and firecrackers in a temperate manner. If the air quality is worsening, we can set off fewer.