Never light fires in forest or grassland fire-prevention zones during tomb-sweeping, field clearing, or camping; report wildfires immediately by dialing 12119 or 119

Lighting an open flame in a designated fire-prevention zone during fire-prevention seasons carries administrative fines of 300 to 5,000 RMB even if no fire spreads. If a fire burns 2 hectares of forest land, it triggers criminal prosecution for the crime of causing a fire (wildfire negligence), carrying 3 to 7 years in prison (or up to 3 years for minor circumstances). In documented cases, individuals burning joss paper that burned 39 hectares received suspended prison sentences and court orders to replant 32 hectares of forest at enormous personal expense.

Zero financial cost. Substitute tomb-sweeping burning with fresh flowers, weeding, or planting; avoid burning paper money, incense, or firecrackers in mountainous woodlands. Never burn agricultural straw or weeds in fields. For camping, carry pre-cooked meals requiring no open flame and pack all cigarette butts out. The difficulty is confronting elderly relatives who believe tomb visits without burning paper are disrespectful.

Under the Regulations on Forest and Grassland Fire Prevention and Extinction (State Council Decree No. 822, effective January 1, 2026, replacing earlier 2008 separate regulations): Article 27 strictly prohibits open outdoor fire in fire-prevention zones during fire seasons, and bans discarding fire sources; during extreme weather, local governments may ban all outdoor flame use. Article 54 imposes fines of 300 to 5,000 RMB on individuals (20,000 to 100,000 RMB on entities) who light unauthorized outdoor fires. Article 34 mandates that anyone discovering wildfire must immediately report it (the national emergency forest fire hotline is 12119). Under Article 115(2) of the Criminal Law, causing a fire through negligence carries 3 to 7 years' imprisonment (or up to 3 years/detention for minor circumstances). Prosecution standards mandate criminal filing once burned forest land reaches 2 hectares, or shrub/brush land reaches 4 hectares, or if causing 1 death, 3 serious injuries, or 500,000 RMB in property damage. Human activity accounts for over 90% of forest fires, with ancestral worship and agricultural burning ranking as the leading causes. In official Case 1, Xie burned joss paper in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve in February 2021, igniting 39.2 hectares of natural shrubland; despite calling emergency dispatch, assisting firefighters, surrendering, and planting 9,420 spruce saplings beforehand, he was sentenced to 1 year's imprisonment (suspended for 2 years) and ordered to afforest 32.05 hectares in three phases or pay equivalent ecological restoration assessments. In Case 2, Wang lit ceremonial incense outdoors in May 2022 and left without verifying extinction, scorching 121.7 mu (loss assessed at 468,578 RMB); he received 9 months' imprisonment (suspended for 18 months) and was held liable for up to 986,700 RMB in ecological restoration costs.

Primary beneficiary is yourself. Designated fire-prevention periods and zones are defined and gazetted by county-level governments; verify local notices before heading into mountain areas. The Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qingming) is the highest-risk seasonal peak. Fines govern unauthorized open flames during fire seasons; criminal negligent arson applies year-round whenever a blaze spreads and meets statutory damage thresholds. Mitigating criminal penalties and obtaining suspended sentences requires active emergency reporting, firefighting assistance, confession, and compensatory reforestation; ecological restoration liabilities often vastly exceed statutory fines. When reporting fires to 12119 or 119, clearly state county, township, landmark, and fire scale. If encountering a spreading wildfire, never run downwind: escape toward bare cleared ground, previously burned clearings, or water bodies.

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