The history of fireworks

There are many beautiful flowers in the wild flowers, and among them, there is one kind of flower, which neither grows in the courtyard nor opens in the mountain streams and streams. It blossoms in the night sky during festivals, and its splendor is dazzling and ever-changing.

Salute from fireworks, fireworks from gunpowder, China is the home of gunpowder, gunpowder is the ancient civilization of China's evidence. As early as 1,300 years ago, the famous medical doctor Sun Simiao, in the Dan Jing, detailed records of the composition and nature of the gunpowder at that time. The fourteenth century only by India, the Arab transfer to Europe, to this point, Westerners began to know that there are gunpowder things.

Sui-Tang Dynasty, gunpowder development for entertainment fireworks. Fireworks, also known as fireworks, fireworks. Emperor Yang had a poem: light tree thousand light, flower flame seven branches open.

Song dynasty shelf fireworks or potted fireworks, has a considerable scale. Whenever the Lantern Festival, officials and tycoons competed with each other. Soon after the lanterns until the end of the night. Lyricist Xin Qiji had "the east wind night flowers, more blowing down, stars like rain," is a vivid and graphic depiction of it.

Salute, or salute gun, formerly known as Western fireworks. It is in the Qing Dynasty from Western Europe back into. Its development is closely related to the chemical industry, metallurgical industry. With the development of science and technology, pyrotechnics, fireworks have formed a discipline. It is no longer just for the holiday cheer, and, widely used in national defense and national economy, such as: flare, tracer, smoke bomb, incendiary bombs, coaching an imitation of the bomb, the target indicates the bomb, and so on, and so on. In addition to their military use, a variety of signaling products used in railroad transportation, air transport, sea transport and river transport. Various types of smokescreen agents are also used to prevent localized freezing, to study air currents in the atmosphere and in various installations, and to combat pests. In addition, white, black, and other colored smoke agents are widely used in the production of motion pictures.

The intense light of a firework comes from the powder of chemically active metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium and zirconium. These metal powders in the air and oxidation, burning, the temperature can be as high as 3,000 degrees, thus releasing a dazzling light. These metal powders are called luminol. As for the colorful, it all depends on the power of the coloring agent. The so-called coloring agent, in fact, is some common metal salts. Originally, metal salts can be decomposed at high temperatures, and different metal vapors have different spectra - emitting their own inherent colorful light. For example, sodium vapor produces a yellow spectrum, so they use sodium oxalate, sodium fluoride, cryolite or sodium silicofluoride, etc. as a yellow light coloring agent; strontium vapor produces a red spectrum, so the use of strontium nitrate, strontium carbonate, strontium oxalate, etc. can be used as a red light coloring agent. Others, such as: green light with barium chlorate, barium nitrate; blue light with copper carbonate, malachite; gold light with gold powder, white light with aluminum powder and so on. With these basic colors, it is not difficult to match a variety of colors. Look, how beautiful the night sky of the festival! Whether it is a New Year's holiday, or marriage, into the school promotion, and even the completion of the building, store opening, etc., as long as in order to express the festivities, people are accustomed to firecrackers to celebrate. On behalf of the festivities, lively and peaceful. And the blessing of the new year, and in ancient times, firecrackers are to drive away the ghosts and gods to protect the peace.

This custom has a history of more than 2000 years in China. The Jing Chu chronicle once recorded that on the first day of the first month of the year, when the rooster crows the first time, everyone has to get up and set off firecrackers in their own yards to drive away the plague gods and evil spirits.

Then there is no gunpowder, no paper, people will use fire to burn bamboo, so that the bursting sound to expel the plague, although this is just a superstition, but it reflects the ancient people's desire for peace and prosperity of the good wishes.

The Tang Dynasty, firecrackers are also known as "popping pole", is a longer bamboo pole burning section by section, continuous sound of blasting. Nanchang poet to swan's "early spring" verse: "the new calendar will be half paper open, small pavilion is still gathered popping pole ash. Written at the time of the Spring Festival burning bamboo poles. Later, the alchemist after continuous chemical tests, found that saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal together can cause combustion and explosion, so the invention of gunpowder. Some people put gunpowder in a bamboo tube to burn, the sound is louder, making the fire burning bamboo this ancient custom has undergone a fundamental change. Northern Song Dynasty, the folk have appeared with a roll of paper wrapped in gunpowder ignition, there is a difference between single and double ring, renamed "firecrackers", and then changed to "firecrackers".

Firecrackers, also known as "firecrackers", "firecrackers", "firecrackers", a Chinese specialty, its origin is very early. If we trace the origins of firecrackers, we will understand the ancient people burning firecrackers and its derivation of the history.

According to the "Divine Principle", in ancient times, people traveled through the mountains and camped out, and at night they would light bonfires to cook food and keep warm, and to prevent wild animals from attacking them. However, there is an animal in the mountains that is not afraid of people or fire, and often takes advantage of people's defenses to steal food. In order to deal with this animal, people think of burning firecrackers in the fire, with the cracking sound of bamboo to make it far away from the approach. The animal mentioned here, called "mountain shame". The ancients said that it can make people hot and cold, is to make people get hot and cold disease ghosts, scared away the mountain shame, that is, to expel the plague, can get lucky and safe. To the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the plague, a man called Li Tian, nitrate in a bamboo tube, ignited so that it emits a greater sound and more intense smoke, the results dispersed the mountain miasma, to stop the epidemic. This is the earliest prototype of nitrate firecrackers. After the emergence of gunpowder, people will be saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal, etc. filled with bamboo tubes to burn, resulting in "firecrackers". To the Song Dynasty, the folk began to commonly use paper tubes and hemp stems wrapped in gunpowder woven into strings made of "braided cannon" (i.e., firecrackers). On the evolution of firecrackers, "popular arrangement of excellent" recorded: "Ancient firecrackers. All with real bamboo fire, so the Tang poetry also known as popping rod. Later people rolled paper for it. Called "firecrackers".

With the passage of time, the application of firecrackers more and more widely used, varieties and colors are also increasingly numerous. Hunan Liuyang is China's famous "hometown of firecrackers", Guangdong's Foshan and Dongyao, Jiangxi's Yichun and Pingxiang and Zhejiang Wenzhou and other places are also famous fireworks production, the production of firecrackers are not only best-selling nationwide, but also sold to the rest of the world and other countries and regions.

Firecrackers have become a recreational activity with national characteristics. People in addition to the old year to welcome the new in the Spring Festival firecrackers, every major festivals and celebrations, such as the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and marriage, building, opening and so on, but also to set off firecrackers to show their congratulations. Gunpowder is one of China's four great inventions, is China's ancient alchemists in the long process of refining pills found in 808 AD, the Tang Dynasty alchemist Qing Xu Zi wrote "Taishang Sheng Zu Jindan secret," is the world's earliest written record of gunpowder, and in the subsequent thousand years, gunpowder in addition to use for the production of weapons is almost only used to make firecrackers. Firecrackers have become a traditional Chinese custom, in addition to the New Year's festivals to firecrackers, regardless of the joy or sadness, as long as it is a major event are required to firecrackers.

China's fireworks origin, there is a statement for the Jiangxi Shangli, there are also said to be Hunan Liling,, there is also a statement for Hunan Liuyang, three places are a long history, a long history, so far there has been more than 1300 years of history. Initially, people burning firecrackers is to avoid evil spirits, later, fireworks gradually become a recreational activity, has become very popular in ancient times, the New Year's festivals, regardless of the dignitaries or the common people, like to set off firecrackers, fireworks, to add a festive atmosphere. Wang Anshi, a famous writer and politician in the Song Dynasty, once depicted the firecrackers during New Year's Day in his poem "New Year's Day": "The sound of firecrackers marks the end of a new year, and the spring breeze sends warmth into the tassel. Thousands of doors and tens of thousands of pupils, always changing the new peach for the old one." The Qing Dynasty Pan Ronghaji in the "Imperial Capital Years and Years" in the firecrackers on New Year's Eve also made the following record: "New Year's Eve, the second, the night of the intersection, outside the door of the treasure torch competition, the Jade River competing sound. And firecrackers such as waves of snow, all over the countryside, all night long." From here you can see the old spring fireworks spectacle. It can be said that, in the development of more than 1300 years, fireworks has not only a custom, but also become a culture, this culture has continued to this day, and with the exchange of Chinese and Western culture in the Middle Ages together out of the country, spread all over the world. Firecrackers in the end when was invented? To the end is still an unsolved mystery. Republic of China published in the period of "China Industrial Chronicle" has a statement: "Hunan Province, the manufacture of firecrackers, began in the Tang Dynasty, developed in the end of the Song Dynasty, and originated in Liuyang also." Accordingly, Liuyang people who produce fireworks and firecrackers that fellow Li Tian (also said to be Jiangxi Shangli people) first invented the firecrackers.

Li Tian, born in the early Tang Dynasty in Shangli, Jiangxi Province and Hunan Liuyang neighboring Ma Shi Street, was honored as the ancestor of the firecrackers.

Tang "anecdotal records" recorded, "Li Tian lived in the neighboring Zhongshou home for the mandrill, Tian ordered every morning and evening in the court with bamboo fire, the ghost is shocked to follow, to the dawn, silent and safe posting." According to legend, Li Tian was a hunter who learned the technique of using gunpowder from Sun Simiao, the alchemist and medicine king at the time.

"Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, used to live in seclusion in Liuyang, and left behind a lot of legends and relics, like the Sun Yin Mountain, the well for washing medicine and the bridge for washing medicine." Liuyang fireworks discharge expert Li Xingu introduced some folklore, allegedly, when Sun Simiao secluded in Liuyang Sun Yinyan Mountain, in the wash medicine well wash medicine alchemy. Li Tian went to seek help, Sun Simiao gave him a packet of gunpowder, and told him to put the gunpowder in a section of a small bamboo tube, can be ignited to burst, making a loud noise. Li Tian went home, according to Sun Simiao's method of experimentation is true. The earliest firecrackers in history was born.

But, although the bamboo tube made of firecrackers loud, but dangerous, very easy to hurt. Li Tian hope to improve, he thought hard, through continuous experimentation, finally succeeded in using paper tubes to package gunpowder - two ends sealed with mud, one end of the ignition line inserted. In this way, a truly practical firecracker was created.

Li Tian used the loud sound and sulfur smell of firecrackers to disperse miasma and scare away ghosts, and was honored as the "ancestor of firecrackers" by later generations. Today, China's three major firecracker center Liuyang, Liling, Shangli many firecracker workshops, still enshrined Li Tian's tablet. Every "master" birthday or some other major holidays, people will burn candles and incense, worship "master". Li Tian, rumored to be the originator of firecrackers. But firecrackers fireworks become an industry, but in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Liuyang

Related historical documents can be supported. According to "Liuyang County" records, the Qing Dynasty Qianlong years, Liuyang became "Hunan firecracker manufacturing center. Xianfeng Tongzhi years, "Liuyang firecrackers Zhuang number widely set up in the province's important ports, Guangdong, Lu, Jin provinces have come to Hunan trafficking." At that time, Liuyang has "ten nine explosions," said the East, South, West 3 townships engaged in the manufacture of firecrackers more than 100,000 people, Chengguan Township, there are more than 300 workshops, more than 2,500 workers.

In the late Qing Dynasty this period, Liuyang firecrackers reputation spread far and wide, the industry was promoted in neighboring counties. Later, these neighboring areas such as liling, jiangxi pingxiang production of firecrackers are also shipped to liuyang, and all hit the "liuyang firecrackers" name, "so the world only know liuyang firecrackers".

Qing Guangxu early years, Liuyang firecrackers began to export from Shanghai or Hong Kong and Macao re-export, exported to the South China Sea. By 1911, the export increased to 48,000 quintals, worth 922,000 taels of silver, the county engaged in the production of firecrackers up to more than 300,000 people.

Subsequently, at the 1933 Chicago Universal Exposition in the United States, Liuyang firecrackers were exhibited at the Expo as handicrafts and won medals. Liuyang's fireworks and firecrackers were recognized by more people.

Shangli

In June 2009, approved by the China Daily-use Articles Circulation Association, Shangli County in Jiangxi Province was awarded the title of "Hometown of Fireworks and Firecrackers in China".

Shangli's fireworks production process has won the State Council's "intangible cultural heritage" title and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce's "Geographical Indication Product" title.

April 16, 2010 to 18, Shangli County, the county's efforts, successfully hosted the 2010 China - Shangli International Fireworks Cultural Festival and Fireworks Industry Fair, greatly increasing the visibility of the Shangli and Shangli Fireworks; in April of the same year, the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperative Society will be "China's fireworks township" plaque awarded to Shangli, Jiangxi Province. The plaque was awarded to Shangli County, Jiangxi Province. In the ancient times, there is a kind of fierce monster, scattered in the mountains and dense forests, people call them "year". "Year" of the appearance of horror, ferocious nature, specializing in eating birds and beasts, scales and insects, a day to change a taste, from the head of the insect has been eating to the living, so that people talk about the "year" color change. Slowly, people have mastered the "year" of the law of activities, it turns out that it every 365 days (or 366 days, that is, a year) scurried to the crowd of places to taste a mouthful of food, and the time of the infestation are in the dark, until the cock crows at dawn, they will return to the mountains and forests to go. Men and women regarded this dreadful night as a curse, called "New Year's Eve", and came up with a whole set of "New Year's Eve" methods: every night, every family made dinner in advance, extinguished the fire and cleaned the stove, and then all the chicken pens and cattle pens are chained, and then the mansion's The door is sealed, and the family hides in the house to eat the "New Year's Eve dinner" - because this dinner has the meaning of uncertainty, so it is very sumptuous, in addition to the whole family to eat together to express harmony and reunion, but also must be sacrificed to the ancestors before the meal, praying for the spirits of ancestors to protect them peacefully and safely through the night. to pray for the spirits of their ancestors to bless them to spend the night peacefully. After dinner, no one dares to sleep, sitting together and chatting. Gradually darkness fell, "the year" from the deep forest scurried out, touching the crowd into the village. Only to see the door of every house closed, in front of the door is still piled up sesame sticks, but the street can not see a person's shadow. Turned half of the night of the "year" nothing, had to gnaw some sesame sticks to feed their hunger. And then some time, the cock crows dawn, these ferocious and stupid monster only had to return. Survived the "New Year's Eve" people are overjoyed to thank the blessings of heaven and earth, to congratulate each other on not being "eaten by the year", but also to open the door to set off firecrackers, to go to meet with neighbors and friends to say goodbye.

This has been going on for many years, and nothing has happened, so people have let their guard down against the beasts of the year. On the 30th night of one year, the beast suddenly scurried to a village in the south of the Yangtze River. A village was almost eaten by the beast of the year, only a family hanging red curtains, wearing red clothes of the newlyweds are safe and sound. There are a few children, in the yard lit a pile of bamboo at play, the fire red, bamboo burning "pop" burst, the beast turned here, saw the fire scared to turn their heads and fled. Since then, people know that the beast is afraid of red, afraid of light, afraid of the sound, every year-end, every family will stick red paper, wear red robes, hanging red lights, banging gongs and drums, firecrackers, so that the beast will not dare to come back. In the poem "Shijing - Xiao Ya - Ting Liao", there is a record of "Ting Liao Zhi Lu". The so-called "Tingliao" is a torch made of bamboo poles. After burning bamboo poles, the air in the bamboo expansion, bamboo cavity burst, the crackling sound, which is the origin of "firecrackers".