Beijing residents will bid goodbye to their firecrackers for another year from midnight on Sunday, the night of the Lantern Festival.

After the firecracker ban resumes, anyone caught setting firecrackers off within the Fifth Ring Road will be fined. 

All firecracker retail shops will close at 12 o'clock on Sunday night.

People with left-over firecrackers can exchange them at firecracker retail shops for legal items or gift vouchers.

Beijing has suspended the ban on firecrackers in all districts of the city since the Chinese New Year holiday in 2006.

(CRI.com March 5, 2007)