Bin Yang Firecracker Dragon Festival
Published March 14, 2010 | 
In the Bin Yang region of Nanning, Guangxi, China, they celebrate each Chinese New Year with a famous festival.
Held on the 11th day of the Chinese New Year (also known as the Lunar New Year, or in China, just “The New Year”) Bin Yang is the central attraction of the whole province bringing in half a million locals and visitors to the region to join in the celebrations which include parades, floats (very American), lantern festival and of course the dragon dance in firecrackers.
This local festival has a centuries old history attached to it with its beginnings in the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), the development into something closer to what we see today happened during the Ming Dynasty (1368 -1644) and finding its place in history and in the cultural calendars of China in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). In other words, it did not happen overnight. This is a festival that has grown and developed over the centuries to become what it is today and is steeped in history and culture. This is what has made the Bin Yang Firecracker Dragon Festival so intense and famous across China.
Now let’s see some firecracker dragon dancing!
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Firecracker roll
Published March 12, 2010 | Do not try this at home people.And turn the volume down a bit before playing.
Of course in the UK firecrackers are not legal for sale to the general public. If they were they would probably be the most popular form of firework going.
The idea with a roll of firecrackers is to roll them out. The clue is in the name. These guys or “hillbillies” to give them there proper name, decided to tape the roll together, thus reducing the overall duration and giving a more spectacular spectacle.
Firecrackers come in all shapes and sizes and in the past have featured some amusing and unusual artwork — firecracker artwork
They also look pretty cool when watched in slow motion — slow mo firecrackers
And if you ever wondered what 10.5 million looked like going off at the same time (we did) — 10.5 million firecrackers
Posted in Firework Videos, United Kingdom | 
10, 4th July Fireworks, artwork, firecracker, firecrackers, fireworks, million, name, Pyrotechnics | 
Leave a commentANTIQUE KILGORE FIRECRACKER CANNON
Published February 26, 2010 | TOY ANTIQUE KILGORE FIRECRACKER CANNON COMPLETE WITH 2 BALLS
The link at the bottom will take you to see a “firecracker cannon”, an actual toy from the 1920′s.
This fellow, Ed Smith, came by our porter, IN warehouse about a year ago and gave my son, gary (manager) one of his “firecracker cannons” and “firecracker mortars” and a couple rubber balls. Gary tried them out later and they were fun.
Anyway, he came back yesterday and reminded Gary about his website. Gary thought I might find this antique website interesting and that I might be open to putting a link to his site from ours.
http://www.esnarf.com/5756k.htm
Besides that he is a very smart fellow. He worked in the space industry and we had a nice talk about Tesla and Edison and Westinghouse and the old AC/DC story. He was telling me how he did repairs to electrical equipment and one time had to climb the gantry of one of the Cape Canaveral rockets nearly to the top to fix something on the rocket….not your typical story!
definitely this dealer is an electronic antique collector and these antique toy kilgore firecracker cannons are just and example of his wares.
not available at the fireworks warehouses—just direct from this antique dealer.
Fireworks Stores Explode Into Life For Chinese New Year 2010
Published February 9, 2010 | 
Beijingers were fired up about fireworks yesterday when 671 licensed pyrotechnics suppliers opened for business within the Fifth Ring Road.
Many customers were eager to get their hands on some decorative explosives — even if some had their enthusiasm extinguished by the cost.
“There were customers waiting for us before we opened our counter at 9 am this morning,” said a female storeowner, surnamed Chen, from her business near the Ito Yokado store on the North Fourth Ring Road.
“Customers have been coming in throughout the morning,” she said.
“Most of them were kids who came and bought some less powerful fireworks. We are open until 9pm, so most parents are likely to drop by after work,” she added. Around 30 customers stopped by the store while METRO was there to check out the merchandise, although only two bought items, spending around 500 yuan.
“I think I could not get as many fireworks this year as I did last year for the same money, the price is higher,” said a female customer who spent 300 yuan on firecrackers. “My husband and son like setting off fireworks on Chinese New Year’s Eve, so I just bought some for them.”
A male customer agreed that the price was a little steep.
“I feel most fireworks are more expensive than last year,” said the man, who was in his mid 40s, after browsing for about 20 minutes.
According to the municipal government’s fireworks regulations, the shops can stay open until Feb 28.
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Posted in Uncategorized | 2010, beijing, chinese, Chinese New, Chinese New Year, customers, explode, firecracker, fireworks, life, stores, year | Leave a commentThe Invention of the Firecracker
Published December 11, 2008 | In the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC) it is said that people would roast bamboo to produce a load sound that was intended to disperse ghosts and apparitions. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581 AD) this kind of sound was not only used to dispel evil but also to pray for happiness and prosperity.
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the first paper tube crackers, filled with gunpowder, were produced. Crackers strung together by hemp rope, known as ‘hundred-break’ crackers, appeared at the end of the Southern Dynasty (fifth Century AD). Li Tian is credited as the originator of the cracker industry.
Li Tian, the Founder
There was an emperor named Li Shiming in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). His Prime Minister, Wei Zhou, killed an evil dragon, which then came back to haunt him. He was greatly vexed and did not know what to do. Li Tian ignited a bamboo tube that was filled with a pyrotechnic composition. The ghost was frightened by the loud bang and went away. After that, the people called Li Tian the founder of crackers and every April 18th they offer sacrifices to him.It was said that in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, in the east of Hunan Province there were floods and droughts every year. Li Tian went to Liu Yang and was struck by the people’s poverty. He set off fireworks to disperse the evil, after which, the people lived and worked in peace and prosperity. In the Song Dynasty (980-1271 AD) people set up a temple to worship Li Tian.
The Development of the Firecracker
At the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD), beginning of the Tang (618-907 AD), the famous alchemist and medicine man Sun Si Miao refined ore in a cave near the eastern side of Liu Yang, Hunan. He developed crackers and later, fireworks. His tools and workbench have been preserved to this day.
At the end of the Northern Song and the beginning of the Southern Song dynasties, firecrackers made rapid progress along side the development of social, economic and chemical sciences. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) firecrackers were presented to the palace as articles of tribute and were greatly enjoyed by the dignitaries of the court.
Fireworks Export
The export of fireworks began with Paozhuang, a private trading company, which had a main store and several branches. In the mid-1800′s, Paozhuang began to deal in fireworks, trading by land and sea, throughout Asia and as far as Europe.
Fireworks were sold abroad in the Guangxun Period (1875-1908 AD) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). At first, fireworks were transported to Guangdong, then to Hong Kong or Macao where they were collected for sale and distribution to Southeast Asia. Some were also sold abroad from Shanghai. During the Xuantong Period (1909-1911 AD) fireworks were sold in twenty countries, including Singapore, India, Korea, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Britain, America, Sweden, Egypt, Canada, Australia and other Latin America countries.
In the 1930′s, economic development was hampered by turbulent international politics and persisting warfare. Many firework factories went bankrupt, product range shrank and sales were poor. Over time, the firework industry declined.After the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, the fireworks industry began to recover and then entered a golden period after 1978. When the Open Door Policy came into effect in 1980, worldwide trade began to flourish.In current years, the fireworks export industry has opened to an expanding market. At present, few countries do not import Chinese made fireworks.
Presently, there are five bases of fireworks production in China: Liuyang (Hunan), Beihai (Guangxi), Pingxiang (Jiangxi), Jianhu (Jiangsu), (and Dongguang,Guangdong.It is not allowed to make any fireworks in Dongguang.).
Until now, 60% of fireworks in the world is from Liuyang,Hunan.
The Development of Safety Systems
Throughout the development of the fireworks industry, safety standards have become increasingly important. The Department of Consumer Product Inspection of China has issued national standards for fireworks and firecrackers, outlining requirements for both safety and quality. These safety regulations were implemented, and explosive accidents have been reduced greatly.
Most of the fireworks factories in China that are shipping fireworks to the USA are now involved in the China Fireworks Quality Improvement Program (QIP). This is part of the testing program set up by the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL). The goals of the program are to improve the quality and safety of fireworks distributed in the United States and this will obviously affect the quality of products shipped worldwide.
The development of superior safety systems has improved fireworks quality and guarantees the future of the fireworks industry.
Posted in Firework Videos, United States | AD, china, firecracker, fireworks, Fireworks Export, Li Tian
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