Fireworks: The past, present and future of this Chinese city
It’s perhaps one to remember for your next pub quiz, when they resume. Where were fireworks invented and by who?
The answer is Liuyang City in China, and the inventor is said to be a monk called Li Tian.
The story goes that 1,400 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, he came up with the first firecracker by igniting black powder inside a hollow bamboo stick.
It created a loud, startling and exciting bang.
At the time China was suffering from a plague, and a superstition was born that the smoke and noise created by these firecrackers could ward off evil spirits and disease.
In modern day China bangers are still set off at the opening of a new businesses with the same purpose of driving away any ill.
Liuyang meanwhile has gone from being the birthplace, to the global powerhouse of pyrotechnics. Its fireworks have taken centre stage at Olympic Games, State Occasions and many a New Year party.
The city in Hunan Province produces 60% of the world’s fireworks.
If you have ever bought your own rockets, roman candles or Catherine wheels, or been to watch an organised display, the chances are they came from here.
There are more than 500 fireworks factories in Liuyang and we were shown an explosive to suit every occasion.
In the exhibition hall of Qingtai Fireworks, one of the biggest producers, we saw products made for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, children’s parties and of course the big crowd pleasers for New Year events and big sporting occasions.
The owner of the company told me that although there is still a traditional, superstitious use of firecrackers in China, across the country and the rest of the world they are now predominantly used to celebrate and to generate happiness and excitement.
The more brilliant and louder the bang the better.
Almost the entire population in Liuyang, 1.4 million people, are either working in, or supported by the industry.
At the Qingtai factory millions of fireworks casings roll of the production line every year and we were surprised to see much of the work is still done by hand.
The manager explained that they have intentionally not fully automated their factory because they believe the pride and emotional connection their workers feel to the product, as well as the precision of work done by hand means they offer a superior product.
The skills required to research, develop and manufacture fireworks are passed from generation to generation. Fireworks are their future, as well as their past.
So, it might not be this year but next time you watch a fireworks display, think about the Chinese monk and his bamboo sticks creating the bang where it all began.