简体中文
Every night he departs from the Tangming police station to persuade newly-weds to forego tradition and avoid lighting off midnight fireworks for their wedding ceremony. More often than not, he is scolded as a buzzkill.
But Li's work is crucial to battling the cloud of smog enveloping the capital city of north China's Shanxi province, especially during winter months when coal-heating results in the most severe pollution of the year.
Like most Chinese cities, wedding fireworks are a popular custom in Taiyuan. But the city also has a rare custom where parents whose son is about to get married the next day are required to set off midnight fireworks to announce the happy occasion and spread good luck. The fireworks are often lit in even numbers as it is believed this brings double prosperity.
Taiyuan has a fireworks ban in place but it is often ignored. For the families, most of which only have one child, it is their only opportunity to observe the tradition. It is simply too ingrained to eliminate.
"During the popular wedding days, such as Labor day in May, the National Day holiday in October, and other dates considered lucky, people rarely follow the ban," Li said.
On the night of Dec. 5, Li, on a regular patrol, saw the remnants of a wedding banquet in front of a restaurant. He obtained the address of the groom from the restaurant, paid visit to the groom's parent and began his routine smog-prevention talk.
The next day, he asked his colleague to continue visiting the groom's family to keep them from setting off fireworks.
"There are punitive measures like fines and detention, but our main job is to persuade and prevent them from doing it in the first place, because once the fireworks are lit, the pollutants are discharged," he said.
Firecrackers release large amounts of toxic gas and particles such as sulphur dioxide, which cause severe air pollution. With smog particularly bad in northern Chinese cities like Taiyuan during the winter, police officers must ensure residents comply with the fireworks ban.
In a special public campaign on Dec. 5 and 6, Taiyuan police persuaded about six dozen families to drop the tradition. One person was detained for violating the ban.
"Centuries-old customs must change with time, particularly since the fireworks have exacerbated smog and disturbed the environment," said Chang Sixin, deputy director of the China Folk Literature and Art Association.
More firework restrictions are expected to be in place for the Chinese New Year in February.
"Before the New Year comes, we will continue to patrol on popular days for wedding ceremonies and prevent the fireworks from polluting the air," said police officer Li.
