Lidu Fireworks
cctv.com 09-23-2004 16:06
It is certainly most appropriate to say that Chinese fireworks are brilliant and have a long history since gunpowder was invented in China in the 9th century. Gunpowder was used to make signal flares for military purposes and was also used as the raw material for fireworks. The first batch of colourful fireworks shot into the sky over Chinese soil.
The making of fireworks in China began during the Tang Dynasty and flourished at the end of the Song Dynasty. The emperor was able to watch grand displays of fireworks from the imperial palace.
Fireworks play an important role in jubilant celebrations. In ancient China, people believed that letting off fireworks and firecrackers could expel ghosts, ward off evils and bring about happiness and good luck. This tradition has been handed down until today.
When fireworks sparkle, they display a riot of colour. They break out into blossoms in the air in the twinkling of an eye and then disappear without any trace. The vanishing of the gorgeous radiance kindles the imaginations of both those who let off the fireworks and the spectators.
The production of fireworks is flourishing in many parts of China, including Jiangxi Province. Lidu, Jinxian County near Nanchang City has been a producer of fireworks for centuries.
DENG QINGMAO (fireworks expert):
Lidu fireworks date back over 1,000 ye ars. Lidu used to produce firecrackers for the most part. Fireworks were made in workshops and homes on a small scale. With scientific and technological progress over the past decades, ordinary fireworks and large fireworks have become the major products.
Fireworks can display various colours because they contain materials of different chemical properties. The basic material is black gunpowder as invented by the Chinese. The other elements are charcoal, sulphur and potassium nitrate. A certain amount of iron powder, aluminium powder or zinc powder is also used to increase the brightness of fireworks. When these elements burn, their flames produce different colours.
Fireworks for ceremonies or festivals are discharged into the air to a greater height than ordinary fireworks and their colours and shapes are designed in different ways. Gunpowder is wrapped in round paper rolls and different kinds of lightburst materials are set in the rolls in various forms. Long fuses are connected to the surface of fireworks. So the fireworks for ceremonies or festivals can be exploded at the desired height and the lightburst materials in the fireworks can be scattered to form a great variety of shapes.
Lidu fireworks boast their own features in both design and production. Today the number of designs total more than 1,800. The wonderful display of Lidu fireworks on many important celebrations deeply impress spectators. During festivals the fireworks soar into the air, brilliantly lighting the evening sky.
Editor:Xiang Jing Source:CCTV.com
