Neat on Suite: How Gunpowder Became Entertainment...The Story of Fireworks
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Posted by Marci Hotsenpiller Jun 16, 2008 |
Some people are scared of loud noises. Others are scared of ghosts. John Walsh, a Suite101 writer and Business lecturer at Shinawatra University in Bagkok, gives us a taste of using one to ward off the other in his recent article on Fireworks: How Gunpowder Became Entertainment:
“From as early as the Han Dynasty in the third century BCE, Chinese heated bamboo to make it explode and therefore chase off ghosts and demons. However, the invention of gunpowder, probably in the sixth century, allowed for more inventiveness.”
In traditional Chinese celebrations, Walsh writes that fireworks are used to tell heaven to pay attention as people here on earth are performing good works and want their virtues to be recorded.
Interesting idea, but since John lectures in Business I was more interested in finding out about the economics of the fireworks industry. Fireworks are big business these days. I asked John if he thinks China’s opening up their trade with the world will have an effect on the global firecracker market:
“Firework production is a fairly low-tech manufacturing technology for most products (there are exceptions, of course) and can take place wherever labour costs are low and necessary supplies are available. Most firecrackers are very cheap affairs sold around Asia for informal use. My concern is with safety standards for workers in factories - China has a very poor record in this regard. So, it would be better if some factories were exported elsewhere with better standards or, at least, more international scrutiny.”
I can’t quite imagine working in a firecracker factory. In fact, I now have a new job to add to the list of occupations I won’t be pursuing in the near future: quality assurance tester, fireworks factory. For more “neat on Suite” articles about Chinese history and culture, you can find John Walsh’s articles here on Suite101.com.
-- Marci