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Fewer fireworks were used across China in the Lunar New Year, as it was banned in many places over air pollution concerns.
Two thirds of people polled in 35 major Chinese cities last year were in favor of fireworks bans at Spring Festival. The research was done by the center for public opinion research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Public concerns over air quality means people routinely check air quality and wear masks, and many own air purifiers at home. Data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection suggests that air quality only improved marginally last year in the area around Beijing.
In Shanghai, fireworks are banned completely downtown, and firework purchases require real name registration to track violators.
A total of 140 cities in China have banned fireworks, while another 540 cities have restrictions in place.
Fewer fireworks have made sanitation workers' life easier. They cleaned up 80 percent less firework waste in Shanghai this year.
In nearby Hangzhou, the host city of this year's G20 summit, fireworks have been banned for the whole year, and police have offered rewards for reporting any sales, storage, transportation or setting off of fireworks.
But some people are concerned that the ban kills off a tradition, calling fireworks makers to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives.
You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Liu Yan in Beijing.
Giant panda researchers in southwest China's Sichuan Province have named a pair of panda cubs, after receiving more than 3,000 responses.
The winning names are "Olympia" and "Fuwa", and were posted by the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach. Both names came out on top after five pairs of names were put up for a final vote.
"Fuwa" is the name of the mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
After the twins were born in June, the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center launched the project to solicit names for the cubs between July and September. More than 3,000 responses, including 900 from outside the Chinese mainland, were submitted through Sina Weibo microblog, messaging app WeChat and e-mail.
The twin sisters have attracted great attention worldwide because of their famous family.
Their mother "Kelin" is well known for a photo showing her watching a "panda porn" video. The photo was chosen by the United States' Time Magazine as one of the "Most Surprising Photos of 2013". The twins' grandfather "Cobi" was named by former president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch in 1992.
