The paper, also known as ghost money, is set alight during funerals and other ceremonies, and is intended to symbolize¹ currency for the deceased person in the afterlife. But the municipal government of Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, said Wednesday that it is a "feudal² superstition³" that is causing air pollution.

 

纸钱，也称冥币，是葬礼和其他祭拜仪式上用来焚烧的一种纸张，代表着黄泉路上死者使用的货币。但黑龙江省省会城市哈尔滨市政府15日表示，焚烧纸钱是一种导致空气污染的“封建迷信”。

 

In a statement on its website, the government banned the burning, production, and selling of joss paper for the 9.6 million people who live in the city and its surrounding rural areas. The ban will "eradicate⁴ bad funeral practices, advocate civilized⁵ ancestor worship, and purify the urban environment," the statement said.

 

Any individuals caught burning joss paper will receive fines of at least 200 yuan ($29), and those caught producing or selling the paper will be fined 500 yuan or more. The ban comes just three weeks ahead of the traditional Tomb-Sweeping Festival holiday, when many Chinese visit the graves of their forbears and perform rituals such as burning joss paper.

 

"The prevention of atmospheric⁶ pollution is one of the factors that led to the government order," Yang Xiaodi, head of the environmental publicity⁷, education, and information center of the Harbin Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, told Sixth Tone. The burning of ghost money, which is commonly made of recycled yellow paper, creates very fine so-called PM 2.5 particles, according to Yang.

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