Today is two weeks after the official New Year in China, officially marking the end of the two week festival. I've been sitting inside all night listening to the fireworks outside. Today has been the worst since the festival began. Not to sound cliche, but the fireworks are so loud I can barely hear myself think. A couple hours ago, a friend who lives in a different neighborhood in Beijing called to say there was a big fire at an unfinished hotel. He could see it all from his window. Here's the story. Luckily no one was hurt.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world/asia/10beijing.html?hp
About 6 years ago a big fire wiped out an internet cafe in Beijing due to poor wiring. After that, internet cafes were shut down for months. Similarly, for environmental problems to catch the attention of officials, a big disaster has to take place. Same with food safety. I am sure I have not been alone in my complaints of fireworks around the holiday. But no one could do anything about it. Now that a big newsworthy disaster has occurred, it might be different.
I hate to see a big fire as a good thing, but I sure hope fireworks are more strictly regulated in the years to come.
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