Fireworks

 The Chinese have an international reputation for fireworks.  You could say the same thing about the French and wine.  So what...you can find wine and fireworks in any country these days...right?

The first time I went to France I came to realize that wine was a very different thing there...it was not a special event but an integral part of everyday life.  The same is true for the Chinese and their fireworks.   We can put on an occasional good show in the US, but in China the fuses are lit day-in and day-out.

 On any given day at work, I hear fireworks going off 5 or 6 times.   During the day.   This is when businesses set them off to mark grand openings or other auspicious business events.  I used to go to the window to try to see, but stopped when the native Chinese laughed at me.   "Only three-year-old children run to the windows when they hear fireworks", they told me.   When the explosions go off, they don't even flinch.   I have to fight the urge to duck and cover and pee my pants.   It sounds like a war zone, some times.  Actually, it sounds like a war zone most times.

There is a break in the action from about 4:00 pm until sunset.   Once it starts getting dark, then the mortars start up again.  This time it is for special events or for weddings or birthdays or who knows what.  The other night, there was a good, solid 90 minutes where fireworks were being launched almost continuously.  Not all from the same location.  But probably from 5 or 6 different places within a mile of us.  About the time one location would finish up their fun, another would start up.  Not every night is so filled with fireworks.  But there is not a night I can remember that did not have at least one display.