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BEIJING - A city in China's central Hunan Province set off a 20km string of fireworks last week - despite failing to persuade Guinness World Records to verify the event, the Xinhua news agency said.
The string of firecrackers stretching from Dayao Town to Liuyang City, China's biggest firecracker producer, exploded for 68 minutes, touching off an explosion of criticism from newspapers across the country.
"Unless the firecrackers are supposed to be part of a cinema scene of raging war, what benefits can come from setting off 20km of fireworks?" asked the Beijing Times.
Head of the Liuyang Firecrackers Bureau, Xu Qiangguo, disagreed. "I don't think it's a waste of money because we got what we wanted: extensive media coverage and more orders."
Firecrackers are traditionally believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good fortune.
- Reuters
