Pictures of young boy sweeping fireworks debris for ill mother break netizens’ hearts

On the fifth day of the lunar new year, one of the highlighted traditions includes lighting firecrackers to welcome a prosperous year. As we saw after New Year’s Eve, the aftermath is messy. After the celebrations had died down yesterday, a nine year old boy was spotted sweeping away the debris from used firecrackers in Nantong, Jiangsu province.

Nine-year-old Wangxin’s mother is a street cleaner. When she fell ill over the Spring Festival, the young boy took over her work with his father, and the two spent nearly six hours clearing streets blanketed with red debris left over from yesterday’s celebrations.

The images were posted online yesterday and have since gone viral.

While a total of 138 cities across China have already banned fireworks due to safety and air pollution concerns, more and more people this year have shifted their attention to the plights of street cleaners who spend hours during the holiday cleaning up the debris.
Earlier this month, an image of an elderly couple holding a handmade sign asking people to go easy on the fireworks spread across WeChat.
“Young people, set off fewer firecrackers! Let me and my old lady go back home earlier to celebrate Spring Festival! Thanks for your consideration!” the sign read.