About 30,000 sanitation employees in China's finance hub Shanghai worked through the night to sweep up some 1,200 tons of fireworks debris, left behind by revelers on Sunday evening as they welcomed in the Lunar New Year.

About 30,000 sanitation employees in China's finance hub Shanghai worked through the night to sweep up some 1,200 tons of fireworks debris, left behind by revelers on Sunday night as they welcomed in the Lunar New Year.

The seven-day holiday is the country's most important festival.

Fireworks are a longstanding tradition in China's Spring Festival, and they've made a loud return to Shanghai since it lifted a 12-year ban in 2006.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2009)