More than 500 people in Beijing took an examination on Sunday hoping to become legally certificated firecracker vendors.

The capital city's municipal government plans to license 2,254 retailers -- 400 more than last year -- to sell fireworks in Beijing during the Spring Festival in February.

The firecrackers will be allowed to be sold in Beijing from Feb. 7 to March 4.

Beijing lifted a 12-year firecracker ban during last year's Spring Festival. The lifting of the ban was aimed at reviving the festive atmosphere.

Statistics released by the State Administration of Work Safety show in the 20 years prior to Nov. 2005, there were 8,532 accidents involving fireworks, which killed 9,349 people.

The two-hour exam in Beijing tested the candidates' knowledge of China's laws and regulations on work safety and the special rules governing fireworks and handling of emergencies.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2006)