The Chinese Fireworks Industry

China during the Song Dynasty (A.D 960-1279) managed to obtain a high level of urbanization and seizable military forces, and create advantageous

Without this sooty powder our expressive fireworks that so vividly light up the night sky on the 4th of July would be just plain empty black, alongside awkward family barbecues.

2. Albert M. Craig, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. “China‘s First Empire”. The Heritage of World Civilizations. 1: 1152 (2007, 2005, 2002) Pearson Education, Inc. New

authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised

In 209 BC, Qin Shi Huangdi declared himself the first in what he expected to be a long line of emperors. Preceding that time, China had been an area divided

Another great invention that was developed during the Tang Dynasty was gun powder. The creator’s name of gun powder has been lost in history. Gun powder’s development was mostly used to make fireworks. Later in history during the Song Dynasty, gun powder was used to fight off their enemy the Mogols. It has been said that the first warriors to see the flaming arrows flying towards them may have thought it was some kind of fearsome magic. Gun powder was such a great advancement in warfare that the Song Dynasty banned the sale of saltpeter (used to make gun powder) so that the other countries would not learn how to make the substance. Since the Song Dynasty banned the sale of saltpeter,

The Zhou Dynasty Around 1046 BC, King Wu, the leader of the Zhou (Chou), a subject people living in the west of the Chinese kingdom, overthrew the last king of the Shang Dynasty. King Wu died shortly after this victory, but his family, the Ji, would rule China for the next few centuries. Their dynasty is known as the Zhou Dynasty. The Mandate of Heaven After overthrowing the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou propagated a new concept known as the Mandate of Heaven.

The Immortal Lü Dongbin Appearing over the Yueyang Pavilion, Southern Song, Yuan, or early Ming dynasty, late 13th–early 14th century China.

The answer lies in the Period of Warring States. Before China was unified, it was a land composed of seven independent states, they were kind of like countries. Those states were always at war for superiority. In Chinese culture, this is known as the Period of Warring States (First Emperor of China). In the midst of the Period of Warring States, a young merchant, Lu Buwei, was in need of a favor, so he traveled to the state of Qin, in the North, in seek for the prince. Once he found the Prince, named Zizhu Zheng, the merchant offered one of his mistresses in return for the favor. That mistress later became pregnant and gave birth to the future emperor of China in 259 B.C. Rumor has it that the father wasn’t actually the prince, instead it was the merchant that lead his mother there, but either way, the new baby was now part of the royal family (Law of Shi Huangdi).

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Fireworks started as people throwing bamboo into a fire to make a loud noise. To this day, fireworks have changed so dramatically! In the beginning when gunpowder was discovered the Chinese would stuff bamboo with gunpowder and then light the bamboo to make a firework. Over time, scientist have mixed different materials together to try and make a louder and brighter explosion. Instead of fireworks having a single casing there is multiple casings. This helps fireworks to not explode all at once. Noises are also a big deal, in the beginning, it was crackling noises, over time scientist have discovered that the more gunpowder you use the louder it gets. For a very long time the color of firework was yellow. During the 19th century, scientist have been mixing chemicals to make more colors. Firepower was a big deal and was

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When studying the rich history of arts and recreation in the Song Dynasty, it is evident that there were many newly pioneered practices that completely captivated the populous and became the epitome of several long-established genres. When one observes the progression of visual arts through the Song Dynasty, landscape painting established itself as the most prevalent and important of the multitude of forms in this genre. Close examination of entertainment reveals that the dramatic arts, with emphasis on shadow-puppeteering, became the most enjoyed form of amusement in the Song Dynasty. Finally, nothing had become more delightful than the everyday life of a citizen, which never had a dull moment. Chinese art and recreation came to a

There is an old-line of the Chinese fireworks, which is tightly combined with varieties of celebrations and festivals in China. Especially, Liuyang is known as “the home of fireworks and firecrackers” and good at making varieties of fireworks. And fireworks and firecrackers has become the pillar industry of Liuyang.

Looking back at ancient civilization, fireworks, elaborate performances, or decorations had not been invented or developed. These rituals that are associated with the tradition today were added throughout the years. It was because of time that people started incorporating ideas that were added on along with the festival. Therefore you were lucky and fortunate to spend Chinese New Year with