The Municipal Public Security Bureau in Beijing has okayed 23 sites in areas outside the Chinese capital's suburbs where local residents can light firecrackers during the Spring Festival holiday.

Meanwhile, local authorities are reminding the public of the six-year-old ban on fireworks in downtown Beijing, a measure aimed at preventing firecrackers-related injuries and fires and protecting the environment.

The specially-designated spots are open to fireworks only from January 29 to February 19, and the designation is only in effect for this year, according to the police.

Authorities said they will review the situation on a year-by-year basis.

Chinese believe that lighting firecrackers in the lunar New Year, which falls on February 5 this year, can drive away evil spirits for the entire year to come.

Beijing launched the ban on December 1, 1993, in accordance with a bill passed by the municipal people's congress, following similar orders in coastal, developed cities including Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Before that, surveys were conducted among local residents, in which 86 percent of the respondents said they were in favor of the ban for security and environmental reasons.

According to official statistics, during the Spring Festive holidays in 1992, 544 local residents were injured by firecrackers and eight were blinded, 238 fires were reported around the city, and both the air pollution and noise caused by the firecrackers far exceeded state standards.

Since the ban was enacted, no fireworks-related injuries or fires have been reported in the urban areas of Beijing, according to city government officials.