Firecrackers
Firecrackers
Dear friends:
Hello everyone! Welcome to the hometown of fireworks for sightseeing.
In fact, nothing in the world is more familiar than fireworks and firecrackers, and the unforgettable childhood frolic of celebrating the Spring Festival. The lively atmosphere of various festivals and important occasions is inseparable from them. But do you know how these familiar fireworks and firecrackers came into being, and where the world-famous hometown of fireworks is? What I want to tell you today is: the world-famous hometown of fireworks is Liuyang, and the ancestors of Liuyang invented and created fireworks and firecrackers through long-term production and life practices. This is a great contribution of the people of Liuyang to the world.
Liuyang is an old revolutionary base area bordering Jiangxi. Hu Yaobang, Wang Zhen, Song Renqiong, Wang Shoudao, Yang Yong and others are all outstanding sons and daughters of the Liuyang people who went out from here. The famous Liuyang River originates here. The fireworks and firecrackers here have a long history, beautiful shapes, and bright colors, and have long enjoyed the reputation of "Liuyang fireworks shake the world." Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers come in a great variety, including "instant firecrackers," "colored firecrackers," "electric light firecrackers," "fast fuse," "quick inch," "thunder," "sky rockets," "second plum blossom," and hundreds of new and old products. They are cleverly made, with shape, sound, color, and scent. After being set off, their shapes may be fish, birds, flowers, or fairies, each different in form; their sounds may be light, heavy, slow, or fast, with crisp reports; their colors may be red, green, blue, or purple, varied in every way; their scent is fragrant and refreshing. The exterior design of Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers is very beautiful, such as "Golden Dragon Spits Pearls," glittering with gold and shooting out pearls; "Plum Blossom Announces Spring," shaped like a vase, with upright plum branches and blooming plum blossoms on the vase; "Peacock Flower," paired with a peacock spreading its tail, lifelike and vivid.
So why do firecrackers make a sound? This must be discussed from their structure. The outer shell of a firecracker is a paper tube rolled from straw paper or kraft paper. For the sake of beauty, the tube is often wrapped with red paper on the outside. Inside the tube is some black powder — gunpowder — with both ends sealed with mud ash; from the black powder section extends a "braid" — a fuse. Black powder is a mixture, generally composed of 15% charcoal powder, 10% sulfur, and 75% potassium nitrate. Charcoal and sulfur are both highly combustible substances, and potassium nitrate readily decomposes to release oxygen when heated. When a match or cigarette butt lights the fuse of a firecracker, the fire travels along the fuse into the paper tube, causing the black powder to undergo a violent chemical reaction, producing a large amount of gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, while also releasing a large amount of heat. These gases expand when heated, increasing in volume by more than a thousand times. Such powerful gas pressure inevitably bursts the paper shell, vibrating the air and producing a loud bang.
The puff of white smoke emitted after a firecracker explodes is formed by the white solid powder of potassium sulfide produced when the black powder burns. After setting off firecrackers, people can also smell a "gunpowder smell." This is because the sulfur in the black powder has not reacted completely and has been heated into sulfur vapor, or because pungent sulfur dioxide gas is produced during combustion. Fireworks are somewhat different from firecrackers. In the tube, besides black powder, there are also luminescent agents and color-producing agents (various metal salts), so when ignited, they can shoot out magnificent and colorful flames.
The Chinese custom of setting off firecrackers has a history of more than a thousand years, one might say passed down for a long time and with a distant source. Such a custom, continued for a thousand years, is an expression of popular psychology and aspirations. From the perspective of the inheritance of folk culture, the purpose of firecracker culture at its earliest formation was for witchcraft, namely using the sound produced by burning bamboo joints to frighten and drive away evil spirits. Later, with the development of the times, the witchcraft purpose gradually weakened, but the element of belief was still preserved, becoming a symbol of welcoming gods and bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, and an expression of the people's festive psychology (not only during the Spring Festival; on festive days such as weddings and celebrations, firecrackers are also set off for good luck and joy). On New Year's Eve, the night of transition between the old and the new, every household sets off firecrackers to welcome the God of Wealth and the arrival of the new year, which is called bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. This is a very strong national mentality. Early on the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, when the door opens to great fortune, firecrackers must first be set off, called "door-opening firecrackers." In an instant, broken red paper covers the ground, brilliant as brocade, called "red all over the hall." The fifth day of the first lunar month is commonly known as "Po Wu." When merchants open for business and travelers go on long journeys, fireworks and firecrackers are even more used to celebrate and see them off. In short, fireworks and firecrackers bring to the Spring Festival a joyful atmosphere and an air of auspiciousness. The Chinese people's complex about firecrackers has a long history and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Setting off fireworks and firecrackers has become part of the customary life of the Chinese Spring Festival. That haunting smoke at the moment firecrackers explode, the happiness and simplicity of children scrambling for firecrackers, and the flavor of the New Year are all in the sound of firecrackers, together with childhood joy, forever kept in the heart.
Gunpowder is one of China's four great inventions, and it played a very important role in the progress of human civilization. However, in the West, gunpowder became artillery, while in China, gunpowder gained an additional entertaining effect. So some people say that the Chinese invented gunpowder long before Europeans, but apart from making fireworks and firecrackers it had no other use. To the West this seems a great error, burying gunpowder's valuable use; only recently have Europeans dared to point out: "The proper use of gunpowder is obviously to make fireworks and firecrackers, to create beautiful things, and not to kill people." In short, the Chinese truly can fully understand this proper use of gunpowder. That gunpowder became fireworks and firecrackers must be counted as another great contribution of China to humanity.
So, do you know how the Chinese invented firecrackers and fireworks? In fact, whether firecrackers or fireworks, these are names people later gave them. At first they were called neither fireworks nor firecrackers, but simply "baozhu" (exploding bamboo). Why "baozhu"? According to legend, firecrackers originated from "tingliao," that is, using bamboo poles as torches and burning them in the courtyard to drive away evil. Because the south has many bamboos, when bamboo is placed in fire and burned, the air inside the heated bamboo joints expands due to heat, the temperature rises sharply, and when a certain limit is reached, it bursts open with a crack, producing a huge explosive sound. Therefore, people at that time called it "baozhu." In ancient China, exploding bamboo was often set off at the beginning of the year. According to legend, long ago there was a fierce monster in the deep mountains named the mountain spirit. It had a very large head, a very short tail, stood more than a zhang tall, had thick limbs, brown hair, a grayish-white belly, two sunken eyes, a deep red nose, and very sharp, very long teeth. This monster often went down the mountain in groups to steal food. If people carelessly provoked them, they would contract a terrible disease.
The only thing this monster feared was bright light and the sound of explosions. As soon as it heard this sound, it would tuck its tail and flee. After people learned of this weakness, they burned bamboo and used the crackling sound of bursting bamboo to scare it away. Because in winter the mountain spirit found it hard to find food in the mountains, it often came down to invade the villagers, so at the end of each year and the beginning of the new one, every household would burn bamboo and set off exploding bamboo to drive back the mountain spirit and pray for good fortune throughout the year. Gradually, Spring Festival firecrackers became a tradition passed down to drive away plague and welcome good fortune and peace. The Records of the Seasons of Jingchu states: "Light fire and throw in bamboo; it bursts with a sound and can ward off evil demons."
Later, alchemists, through continuous chemical experiments, discovered that saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal combined could cause combustion and explosion, and thus invented gunpowder. Some people put gunpowder into bamboo tubes and set it off, making a louder sound, which fundamentally changed the ancient custom of burning bamboo. So people followed this practice and used exploding bamboo tubes to drive away demons, and exploding bamboo quickly became a sacred object for driving away harm and warding off evil. In the early Tang Dynasty, the "King of Medicine" Sun Simiao (581–682) was the first to record the "sulfur fire-subduing method" of mixing saltpeter, sulfur, and carbon-containing substances to create gunpowder. Legend says Sun Simiao once lived in seclusion in Liuyang, and east of Liuyang city there have long been place names such as "Sun Yin Cliff" and "Medicine-Washing Bridge." By the Song Dynasty, inventors, standing on the shoulders of the inventors of gunpowder, carried out a major reform of firecrackers and also invented the "braided firecracker," which used hemp rope to braid individual firecrackers into strings, just as a musket changed from single-shot to repeating fire. This was another considerable advance. All because this thing sounded a bit like a leather whip, "braided firecracker" was called over and over until it became "bianpao" (firecracker string). After the Song Dynasty, firecrackers were made with paper instead, called "exploding bamboo." In the Southern Song Dynasty, "hundred-child firecrackers" appeared. They had an inner fuse; after being lit and sounding, red paper fell and scattered on the ground, carrying an auspicious meaning. Because firecrackers could add festivity and were small, light, and convenient, they spread widely among the people and continue to this day. On New Year's Eve and the first day of the lunar new year, firecrackers sound together, making festival activities more colorful and the atmosphere more lively and rich. From then on, firecrackers developed from a single function of driving away ghosts and warding off evil into multifunctional uses covering all weddings and funerals, happy and sad occasions in society, and became closely related to people's lives.
Whether gunpowder was invented by Hunan people is no longer important. What is important is that Hunan people combined gunpowder with other things to make brilliant fireworks, and this is the contribution of Hunan people. In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Tian, a native of Dayao in Liuyang, in order to drive away plague, put gunpowder into bamboo tubes and lit them with a fuse to explode, producing a louder sound and thick smoke, dispersing mountain mist and miasma and stopping the spread of epidemic disease. This was the earliest prototype of gunpowder-loaded firecrackers. Li Tian is therefore revered as the "ancestor of fireworks and firecrackers." In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, the Liuyang county merchant Li Xiya "restored and developed the lost skills of his ancestors" and made "fireworks" that shot out flames in all directions, which remained popular until the end of the 19th century. By the early 1980s, Liuyang began to develop "display shells" of international standard, completing the leap from "toy fireworks" to "large-scale fireworks." Thereafter, "Liuyang fireworks" frequently appeared in large-scale domestic and international pyrotechnic performances, making the world's black night sky shine in all directions.
As the world's largest fireworks base and the nationally named "Hometown of Chinese Fireworks" — Liuyang City, Hunan Province — it has more than 860 fireworks enterprises and 400,000 employees. At present, Liuyang's fireworks industry has developed into 13 major categories and more than 3,000 varieties, with annual sales exceeding 3 billion yuan; its products sell well in more than 100 countries and regions across five continents, and its export volume accounts for 60% of the country's total. In today's international market, 60% of fireworks and firecrackers come from Liuyang and Liling. In fact, Hunan fireworks and firecrackers began to shine brilliantly on the international stage as early as 1923. Why could they shine so brilliantly? This is because fireworks and firecrackers, with their beautiful shapes, brilliant colors, and rich ethnic flavor, have become a symbol of Eastern culture and set off an auspicious and joyful atmosphere in people's lives.
Therefore, in almost all major festivals and celebrations in the world, wherever people need to continue reveling at night and want to create a brilliant backdrop for the sky, fireworks are indispensable, because only they can, at night, above the black sky and the brilliant lights of the city, create an even more radiant and magnificent canopy.
The reason Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers can go to the whole world is two words: loud and bright. Products mainly based on visual effects are called fireworks, and products mainly based on auditory effects are called firecrackers. Loud refers to hearing, and bright refers to vision. Something that can stimulate both your vision and your hearing, being both loud and bright, and also expresses rich connotations such as festivity, auspiciousness, peace, and joy — that is Hunan's firecrackers and display fireworks.
Gunpowder is one of the four great inventions of ancient China. But what endowed gunpowder with cultural connotations and artistic life, making it a magnificent exotic flower in world culture, is China's Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers. Since Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers were presented as tribute to the imperial court in the first year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1723), they have been known to both court and common people and famous overseas. Exports began in 1875, selling to Korea, Japan, the South Seas, India, Iran, and even European and American countries, and were highly praised. In 1923, they participated in the "Chicago World's Fair" in the United States and won an award of excellence; in 1929, they participated in the "Chinese National Goods Exhibition" and won first prize; in 1986, at the 21st International Fireworks Competition in Monaco, Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers won first place; in 1992, at the Montreal International Music Fireworks Competition in Canada, Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers again won the gold medal; in 1998, at the Canadian International Fireworks Competition they again took the crown; in addition, Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers frequently showed their elegance in grand events such as the 1997 Hong Kong return, the 1998 France World Cup football match, the Kunming World Horticultural Exposition, and many National Day celebrations. In 1995, Liuyang City was awarded the title "Hometown of Chinese Fireworks." The fireworks set off at almost all major Chinese celebratory events, such as National Day, May Day, and large sports meets, are mostly Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers. The fireworks set off in Beijing and Hong Kong at the 1997 Hong Kong return used Liuyang products, and the fireworks evenings for the 50th National Day in 1999 and the Macao return also used Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers. Fireworks and firecrackers have not only become the pillar industry of Liuyang, but also internationally become the synonym for Chinese fireworks and firecrackers. In various international competitions, Liuyang fireworks and firecrackers enjoy all the glory.
In 2001, the International Fireworks Festival was held in Vancouver, Canada. Fireworks from Hunan, China, shone brilliantly for the first time over Vancouver's English Bay. A series of fireworks patterns full of distinctive features poured down like the Milky Way, and the gorgeous colors, matched with music full of classical charm or modern rhythm, gave people a lingering impression that seemed to remain for three days. They brought the people who watched the fireworks in the rain an unforgettable beautiful memory.
At the 2003 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, political leaders and distinguished guests from various Asian countries enjoyed the colorful Liuyang fireworks together. This fireworks display, with the four major themes of "red lanterns and colored rings, a festive grand gathering," "abundant harvests of all grains, prosperity in all trades," "dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, a beautiful tomorrow," and "joy tonight, a bright future," set off display fireworks of different colors and shapes in each chapter. The most amazing thing was that 28 large red lanterns "hung" high in the 200-meter-high sky, forming an incomparably wonderful picture with the colored subtitles on the ground.
At the Sixth International Fireworks Festival, when state leader Chairwoman Peng Peiyun announced the opening, colored meteors streaked across the night sky, and the fireworks on Jintan formed a long color-changing subtitle, "Warmly Celebrate the Victorious Opening of the Sixth International Fireworks Festival," hanging high in the distant sky. The emblem of the conference, the emblem of the festival, and the banner reading "Opening and driving development, transportation first, three pillars standing, popularity gathering in the east" appeared almost at the same time before people's eyes. The radiant sky ladder torch towered into the ninth heaven, ten thousand guns sounded together, the horizon flowed with color and light, red peonies reddened the sky, ten giant yellow five-pointed stars glittered, and the majestic three-tier "waterfall" of Dawei Mountain appeared vividly. At this moment, the Liuyang River had become a dreamlike world. Neon lights flashed, a hundred sails sailed far, the water-screen film was like a dream and an illusion, and the seven-colored screen and the high-altitude colored lanterns reflected each other.
The enchanting fireworks made people's hearts, just calmed down, surge again. "Charming floral rhythms," "music fireworks," and "mountain song sketches" — the beauty of their shapes and the depth of their meanings were breathtaking.
Look — the face of the god of fireworks is now like a rotating disk, now like a ring, now like a cluster of flowers, now like autumn chrysanthemums; sometimes golden snakes dance, sometimes spirits rise to the sky, and sometimes it resembles small bridges linked together with colorful trees towering high, ever-changing and utterly lifelike. Look — the dark night has been replaced by all the colors of the rainbow. Red like fire, white like snow, green like shade, purple like sunset clouds.
At the opening ceremony of the 2004 China Hunan Tourism Festival, the large-scale fireworks evening "Colorful Liuyang River Carnival Night" attracted tens of thousands of ordinary people and drew many journalists from CCTV, People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong Phoenix TV, Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, and many other media, as well as numerous domestic and overseas merchants and well-known figures from the performing arts world.
Amid the song "Liuyang River," a loud "bang" opened the prologue of the Liuyang fireworks performance. A shining meteor shot up into the night sky like a swiftly swimming golden snake, stayed for just the blink of an eye, then with a "whoosh," ten thousand rays of golden light poured wildly down from the sky and then quietly disappeared. The passion of the Liuyang River was ignited. Tens of thousands of fireworks were set off together, slowly transforming into a landscape picture of Dawei Mountain about 260 meters long and 80 meters high. Forests and trees, waterfalls and streams, lakes and deep pools, pavilions and towers were all lifelike, and the words "Beautiful Dawei Mountain" floated in the sky. Gasps of amazement, applause, singing, and laughter filled the Liuyang River. Then, hibiscus flowers bloomed in the sky, flower trees stood gracefully, balloons floated about, and various unique fireworks shapes rose in people's sight, with wave after wave of cheers. It was not until beautiful flower baskets and lotus flowers bloomed fully one after another on the river surface that the magical charm of Liuyang fireworks was perfectly released on the Liuyang River. Fireworks in the water are different from those in the air. The fireworks were so close to the water, and the river water was so quiet, so warm. The fireworks merged with the Liuyang River water and disappeared into the water in an instant, making people sigh in admiration that the fireworks, which made the heart bloom with joy, were so beautiful and so full of feeling. As a Japanese merchant said: "No country in the world has fireworks and firecrackers that can compare with Liuyang."
As the birthplace of the world's fireworks and the world's largest production and sales base for fireworks and firecrackers, the fireworks and firecrackers produced here are renowned worldwide for their unique craftsmanship, beautiful shapes, bright colors, loud sounds, exquisite packaging, and rich traditional flavor. It is precisely because of Liuyang's incomparable special position in the fireworks industry that the International Fireworks Association decided to set its headquarters in Liuyang. This is an honor won for the Chinese nation by the wisdom and talent of the Hunan people. The long-standing, magical, and wonderful firecrackers and fireworks have created endless wealth and eternal civilization for the world, and have also created for humanity a peerless, splendid, and magnificent exotic flower!