Spring Festival is coming. People’s opinion of fireworks, which were once considered a necessity during the festival, has changed due to environmental protection and the appearance of smog in Zhangjiagang of Jiangsu province. More people are preferring electronic fireworks.

A woman surnamed Li said her family has decided not to buy any fireworks this year. “Smog came from time to time in 2013, so I won’t buy fireworks. Getting together for dinner with family is enough to create a festive atmosphere.”

However, some people hold different views. An elderly man surnamed Xu said he will still buy fireworks, otherwise it won’t feel like Spring Festival.

“Vehicle emissions are the main cause of air pollution. Fireworks will pollute the air, but it’s not so serious,” said Xu.

Zhu Xiaodong, an official from the environmental department of Zhangjiagang, said smog produced by fireworks doesn’t affect a large area and the amount is not significant. But when smog appears, fireworks smoke will stop the smog from spreading and make pollution more serious.

“According to monitoring statistics from previous years, fireworks will increase the amount of PM2.5 obviously. It will be even more serious with smoggy weather,” said Zhu.

For firework merchants, it is not a good year.

A fireworks shop owner surnamed Liu said he sold a lot of fireworks during this season in previous years, but business is just half of last year.

Electronic fireworks are popular in online stores with prices from 10 yuan ($1.65) to over 200 yuan. Most people support the products as they are safe and eco-friendly.