Fireworks overload

As we have just finished up another Chinese New Year festival, I thought it appropriate to write about the Chinese love affair with firecrackers and fireworks.

I'll refer to fireworks and firecracker as FW and FC, and both as FWC just to save on time and space.

I've previously written about FWCs during chinese new year in a previous post on my first visit to China in 2008,

http://alinchina08.blogspot.com/2009/02/chinese-new-year-with-beijing-bang.html

so I won't explain the atmosphere during Chinese New year again. Instead I thought I'd talk about the Chinese love affair with FWCs in general, and from a foreigner's perspective.

FWC's are actually set off quite routinely outside the chinese new year, though obviously theres a much greater amount set off during the 15 day festival. I don't know of all the reasons why they're set off, but I do know that one is to scare the evil spirits away, and the other is probably to usher in prosperity and luck. Hence they're an essential feature at wedding receptions, official opennings, and a staple for business owners who just want to usher in more good fortune. In the area where I live, it seems that every week they'll be at least 2-3 occurences.

As a foreigner when I first arrived in China and heared FWCs going off near my appartment, I used to quickly rush to the closest window and gape in awe. "how cool, FWCs are going off right outside my window. It's like my own private show'' I would think to myself.

But by the 20th time the FWCs are going off outside,  no longer will you be rushing to any window. Instead you'll be cursing under your breath and picturing some business owner trying to usher in a little more luck and fortune for their business. I don't think there's a limit as to how much luck you can supposedly attain from setting off FWC's, and it seems some business owners routinely set them off! I feel like going up to some of these repeat offenders and telling them to use the money spent on FWC's to instead invest in, oh say, the customer ammenities and staff! Like if your dishes taste really awful I'm not going to come back to your restaurant just cause I suddenly whiff burnt FC's outside your front door. How about not cooking such crap food, or changing up the menu.

Thankfully people are considerate enough to not set off FWCs too late in the night, but during chinese new year is another matter. However, for those who like to have a bit of a sleep in after 9am, you could find yourself rudely jolted awake and traumatized. I can understand FC's being set off during the day, but it's just weird setting off FW's during this time when you can hardly see them!

Like I mentioned before in a previous post, fireworks are opennly available for sale in China from little peewee ones that fizzle to the industrial level types you see in professional shows. and let me tell you they don't always go off like they should, these being made in China and given the typical chop of Chinese quality control. FW's are sold in a box the size of about 2 cartons of 24 pack beers put together. To set off, you simply have to light the fuse that runs throughout the box, and run like hell. The FW's in the box are then supposed to go off sequentially as the fuse runs past each one.

While in Malaysia I witnessed one of these imported boxes from China go off.......in one LARGE explosion. It's more like i heard the thing go off from inside the house, as all the windows reverberated and every car alarm within the area was triggered. Luckily nobody was maimed, but there were smoldering remains everywhere. It would be interesting to find out how many injuries and deaths arise out of FWCs, but it''s something that the news never reports on.

At least the government do try to mitigate risks though, by publishing statements on the news like ''only set off fireworks in open spaces''. Though just the other day I saw some guy setting his too close to the side of an appartment block and then watched as half of them fell back down to the ground and exploded. ah TIC.