As the clock strikes midnight here in the Middle Kingdom, the quiet slowly begins. After an evening of "grand finale" fireworks being shot off from the parking lot (no, the BMW’s never did get blown up) next to my building, it is all, finally, coming to an end. As of right now, shooting off fireworks in this city is no longer forbidden. How do I know this? Well, this afternoon I got a friendly text message from the city government. Here’s a rough translation: The city Party Committee and the City Government would like to thank you for understanding and supporting the safety regulations regarding fireworks, and to remind you that as of midnight tonight, it is prohibited to set off fireworks within the 5th ring road.
Until next year, The Year of the Ox!