Photo Credit: S Pakhrin on Flickr
Chinese New Year is one of, if not the most important annual celebrations for the Chinese. Celebrated during the first day of the first month in the Lunar calendar, it is a celebration that honours past ancestors, and the deities as well. During this celebratory period, several practices are carried out, inclusive of the use of incense and burning of offerings as tributes to the deities, and the use of fireworks and firecrackers to drive away the Nian monster. These practices lead to a marked increase in pollution levels during the month, as well as an increase in trash generated from spring cleaning.
For example in Shanghai, the use of fireworks during Chinese New Year had led to a sharp increase in fine particulate matters (PM2.5), when fireworks are set off to usher in the new lunar year. During that period of time, PM2.5 levels gradually increase beyond moderate levels to hazardous levels.
Image credit: “CNY fireworks cause spike in air pollution” by Senlix
Furthermore, in China, Chinese New Year marks an annual mass migration of their citizens across different cities or countries, in order to attend reunion dinners that symbolizes unity within the family. However, during this mass migration period, vehicle traffic outside and within the cities are likely to increase, due to more individuals trying to make it before their reunion dinner starts. As such, this might lead to an overall increase in air pollution generated from the exhaust fumes of vehicles.
Hazy Days
Hazy Days by Mike Ren
Hazy Days is a game focused on the increasing air pollution level in China, as it draws closer to Chinese New Year. In the game, you play as a girl called Xiao Feng, who must make it through those days, in order to meet with her grandmother for Chinese New Year. This game is particularly interesting, as it does show the detrimental effect of air pollution originating even during the pre-celebration period, and the detrimental health impact on those who are particularly vulnerable. While it does not directly illustrates the pollution’s impact on the environment, the city backdrop gets increasingly hazy, as smog settles over it, which is likely to harm or kill any wildlife which had yet to adapt to the polluted environment. Smog itself also contains the pollutant – ozone, which can inhibit plant growth and cause widespread damage to surrounding forests.
