When setting off fireworks, please make sure they are made in Liuyang on the label!

Review expert: Zhu Guangsi, member of Beijing Science Writers Association

Fireworks are a collision of colors and shapes, blooming in the dark night sky, leaving a moment of romance. Fireworks are never absent during festivals and events. Did you know that in China, for every two fireworks lit, one is "made in Liuyang"!

Image source: Tencent

What is unique about Liuyang fireworks? And why is it so famous? Let's explore it together!

1

Liuyang fireworks grown from mountains and rivers

Everyone is familiar with Liuyang fireworks. The 29 big footprints that amazed the world at the Beijing Olympics, the gorgeous opening show of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the internet celebrity "Gatlin" that has swept the entire Internet... Liuyang fireworks are behind these splendid scenes.

Source: pexels

Liuyang is known as China's fireworks hometown and has the world's largest fireworks processing, production and trading base. According to statistics from the Liuyang Municipal Government, the Liuyang fireworks industry cluster achieved a total output value of 30.15 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%. Among them, export sales were 6.16 billion yuan and domestic sales were 17.46 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 60% of the national total .

The reason why Liuyang is very suitable for making fireworks has a lot to do with its geographical location. Liuyang's location explains its "geographical advantage" in making fireworks. The small city of Liuyang is surrounded by the winding Liuyang River and the highest peak in eastern Hunan, Dawei Mountain. The combination of mountains and waters has brought a lot of convenience to the manufacture of fireworks. In most people's impressions, mountainous areas are mostly places with poor transportation, less arable land, and backward economic development. However, Liuyang seized the opportunity and opened up its own unique road to fireworks business.

Image source: Liuyang Municipal People's Government

Fireworks are flammable and explosive, so production requires to be located far away from residential areas. The mountainous area of ​​Liuyang has a low population density, and the lowlands between the mountains provide many open areas for factory construction. In addition , the high humidity in the mountains adds a safety barrier to the manufacture and storage of fireworks . Liuyang 's well-developed waterways also facilitate the transportation of fireworks.

As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water." Liuyang's high mountains and forests have brought many treasures to the fireworks industry. The core of fireworks is black powder, and its raw materials such as sulfur, saltpeter and fir charcoal can all be found in Liuyang. Many sulfur-containing mines have been discovered in Liuyang . The mined sulfur mines can be used in the production of black powder after purification. Fir charcoal used to start fires is also one of the products of Liuyang. There are many bamboos and woods here, and the earthen paper used to wrap fireworks can also be made locally . From raw material collection to production, every process of fireworks production can be completed in Liuyang, an advantage that is not available elsewhere.

3

High technology in fireworks

From ancient flares to traditional fireworks, and then to today's colorful and uniquely shaped new fireworks, China's fireworks industry has never stopped innovating, bringing forth new things from the old and gradually occupying a place in the world's fireworks industry. With the advancement of the times, many new technologies have also appeared in fireworks.

Source: pexels

Many fireworks today are equipped with chips and pressure control equipment , which use computers to control the ignition time of the fireworks, perfectly demonstrating the characteristic of "precision". For example, the fireworks used in the 2008 Beijing Olympics were the first time that chip fireworks were used internationally. They used computers for precise ignition, and could accurately control the height and direction of the fireworks, making the fireworks more diverse in shape, adding a sense of hierarchy to the fireworks design, and reducing the error rate and safety hazards in the fireworks design. In order to prevent falling paper scraps from polluting the environment and causing fire hazards, Liuyang Fireworks has improved its materials and technology, using the "inner ring inside the outer ring" method to achieve "paperless" fireworks . The "Big Footprints" of the 2008 Olympic Fireworks

Source: Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage

The ban on fireworks since 2013 has brought challenges to Liuyang fireworks, but it has also promoted Liuyang fireworks to develop new technologies to protect the environment. Liuyang has created smokeless, sulfur-free cold light city fireworks, which will not fly into the air or explode, making them safer and more environmentally friendly . In addition, in order to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by waste paper shells after the fireworks are burned out, Liuyang changed the material of the paper tubes to biodegradable recycled plant fibers. This move not only saves costs, but also reduces pollution to the environment. Not only that, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2019, Liuyang used intelligent control to create the world's first "3D Stereoscopic Dynamic Fireworks Scroll", using fireworks to achieve dynamic painting, which is spectacular!

This year, the fireworks show on the banks of the Liuyang River has shown the whole country a brand new "black technology", including giant net curtain fireworks, fireworks matrix connected in parallel with WIFI, smokeless spray machines, etc., celebrating the festival with the people of the whole country in a highly environmentally friendly and safe way, and painting a beautiful picture of the New Year with fireworks.

Winter Olympics closing ceremony fireworks display Source: Xinhua News Agency

With its geographical advantages and the efforts and innovations of generations, Liuyang fireworks have been displayed at many international events and have been recognized by the world. Have you ever felt the charm of Liuyang fireworks?