Ancient Chinese Fireworks Invention History
Ancient Chinese Fireworks Invention History
Fireworks light up the sky with colorful lights on the Chinese New Year. Fireworks are burned to symbolize the end of the old year and welcome the new year. Fireworks represent many customs and traditions in China. This article take you down the timeline of ancient Chinese fireworks invention history.
China is one of the oldest surviving civilization in the world. There are not many nations that can claim to have a vast legacy of rich traditions and heritage. China is a country situated in the Asian continent. China shares its borders with 14 countries of which, countries like India and Japan, have cultures and traditions similar to China.
It is thought that the ancient Chinese civilization began between 500,00 and 5000 years ago. The first village of China dates back to 5000 years ago. Today, China is the fourth largest country in the world. China was ruled by many warlords that fought with each other. With the birth of the Qin dynasty, 221 BCE, China became united as one empire.
There are many useful inventions invented by the Chinese. Simple objects like paper, printing, silk, kites, umbrellas, the abacus and porcelain are Chinese inventions. China has also invented another important yet destructive material, that is, the gunpowder. This gunpowder was used to make weapons to be used against the enemies. Gunpowder was also used to make firecrackers. Let us learn more about the ancient Chinese fireworks invention history – fireworks history and origin of fireworks in China.
Ancient Chinese Fireworks History
There is a legend behind the ancient Chinese fireworks invention. It is said that one day a chef with the Chinese army mixed three common kitchen ingredients, saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal. He dropped these ingredients inadvertently into fire and this produced a colorful flame. This made him excited and he tried to burn it in a closed bamboo shoot. This resulted in an enormous explosion. Thus, the basic firecracker was born. This crude black powder that constituted the ancient fireworks mixture was named as ‘huo yao’ (fire chemical) by the Chinese.
Initially ancient Chinese firework invention was just used for fun. Gradually, people started to associate the sound as a way to ward of evil. Ancient Chinese firework was used in weddings, religious ceremonies and victory celebrations.
There is another legend attached to the ancient Chinese fireworks’ inventions. The ancient Chinese people had a desire to become immortal and they put a lot of effort in discovering elusive gold that would make them immortal. This gave birth to a branch of chemistry called Alchemy. The alchemists tried to refine sand and base ore into gold and a magical medicine that would never rot. The alchemists presented the elixir of life to Emperor Jing ( 457 BC-221 BC). They received a lot of support from the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907 AD). But they lost their importance in the Song Dynasty (960-1271 AD) and disappeared during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD).
Although, the alchemists could never discover the elixir of life, their experiments gave led to the famous inventions of ancient China. These include the invention of the compass, printing ink, paper and arguably the most important, gunpowder.
Many stories mention a Chinese monk named Li Tian of Liu Yang in Hunan Province as the inventor of the ancient Chinese fireworks. The Chinese celebrate the invention of firecrackers on April 18 and offer sacrifices to him. To this date, Liu Yang is the main region which produces fireworks. Legend has it, Li Tian ignited a bamboo tube filled with gunpowder and the loud band got rid of the ghost of an evil dragon that haunted emperor Li Shiming in the Tang Dynasty. Thus, the people named Li Tian as the founder of firecrackers. Another story claims, that during the Zhenguan period of Tang Dynasty, the east Hunan Province was hit by floods and droughts every year. Li Tian set off his fireworks in the area and dispelled evil. After this, the people lived and worked with prosperity. The people of the Song Dynasty (980-1271 AD) erected a temple to worship Li Tian.
The Chinese worked on this crude firework mixture and developed it into gunpowder. They hand carved wooden rockets in the shape of a dragon and filled it with gunpowder. They used this rocket as a weapon against the Mongolian army.
Ancient Chinese Fireworks Invention
Let us see the different phases of development of ancient Chinese fireworks invention in history:
- The people of Han Dynasty (200-220 BC) would roast bamboo and produce a loud sound. They said it would disperse ghosts and apparitions. This sound was not only used to disperse evil but also used to pray for happiness and prosperity in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581 AD)
- The first paper tube crackers filled with gunpowder was produced at the end of the Northern Dynasty. The ‘hundred break’ crackers, that is, crackers strung together by a string, were produced in the 5th Century AD.
- At the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD), Sun Simiao, a famous alchemist and medicine man refined ore and developed crackers and then fireworks.
Spread of Ancient Chinese Firework Invention
The knowledge of Chinese firework invention spread far and wide with adventurers traveling around the world. The Arabs learned the art of making fireworks from the Chinese in the middle of the 13th Century. The Arabs called it as ‘China Snow’.
It was Marco Polo who eventually brought the science of firework to Europe in the 13th Century. The first Europeans to use gunpowder for manufacturing fireworks were the Italians. Germany became the fireworks leader among the European nations in the 18th Century, along with Italy. Italians should be credited for developing aerial shells that could be launched upward, thereby lighting up the night sky into a rainbow of colors.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, fireworks gained a lot of popularity. It is mentioned in some of William Shakespeare’s works, that Queen Elizabeth was so fascinated with fireworks that she created a position of ‘Fire Master of England’.
Fireworks was first introduced in the United States in the early 1500s. Fireworks was used in the military and also as a major entertainment show during events. There was such an overwhelming response to fireworks, that factories were started everywhere in America, giving rise to more employment opportunities.
Thus, the ancient Chinese firework invention has been used for different purposes like getting rid of evil, against invading armies, even as dynamite during the ‘Gold Rush’ in America. Today, this ancient Chinese firework invention is not only used as a form of entertainment, but developed further to be used as a destructive weapon for war. The Chinese chef and Li Tian, would have never dreamt, that their pyrotechnic invention would give birth to a weapon called ‘gun’. This simple weapon has shaped the history of man like no other invention.
This was all about ancient Chinese fireworks invention history. Ancient Chinese firework invention can be called either a boon or a bane to mankind. It is an individual prospective how one weighs the pros and cons of firework invention. In the end, bursting of fireworks can result in basically two kinds of emotions – one filled with awe and delight when firecrackers light up the night sky and the other of sadness and loss when bombs destroys homes of innocent people.
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By Batul Nafisa Baxamusa Published: 8/6/2009 |
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