Fireworks and firecrackers production technology (Wanzai fireworks production technology)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: fireworks production technology

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

Project No.: 436

Project No.: VIII - 86

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Jiangxi Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

Protection unit: Jiangxi Wanzai Nantian fireworks production Co., Ltd

Brief introduction of fireworks production technology (Wanzai fireworks production technology)

Applicant: Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province

China is the first country to invent gunpowder in the world. Fireworks made of gunpowder also have a long history and enjoy high reputation in the world. The record of firecracker can be found in the book of Jingchu's age in the southern and Northern Dynasties, which describes the custom of firecracker in front of the court to avoid evil spirits when the cock crows. At that time, the so-called firecracker actually burned the bamboo tube, causing the air in the tube to heat up and burst. After Sui and Tang Dynasties, gunpowder was loaded into bamboo tube instead. In Song Dynasty, the abandoned bamboo tube was replaced by paper wrapped gunpowder. String of small firecrackers, commonly known as "firecrackers", have appeared in Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the records of old stories in Wulin, this kind of firecracker rings continuously after it is ignited to the end. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were many kinds of firecrackers, such as the double sound thunderbolt, the rising three waves, the two kicks, the flying ten rings and so on. Modern firecrackers are further developed and perfected in type and technology, forming a complete production system, including single sound, double sound, serial sound, firecrackers, firecrackers and other varieties, as well as various technologies such as reel, barrel cutting, bottom pasting, mud filling, gunpowder priming and hole sealing.

Fireworks, also known as "fireworks" and "fireworks", began in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, "gunpowder and fireworks" appeared, which can show melons and fruits, animals, ghosts and other patterns. In the Southern Song Dynasty, shelf fireworks were very popular. According to Wanshu Zaji, there are many kinds of fireworks in Beijing in Ming Dynasty. The paper letter is called "flower tube", the mud letter is called "casserole", and the bamboo basket letter is called "flower box", which can show various patterns such as ribbon bird, grape trellis, pearl curtain, and long-term lamp. In the Qing Dynasty, Ji Sheng said that the fireworks in the capital at that time were "filled with several stories in the brocade box, and the characters were like Sheng, Ling and flowers and plants. The color of fireworks is mainly made of gunpowder and different chemicals, such as sodium salt is yellow, potassium salt is purple, strontium salt is red, barium salt is green and copper salt is blue.

Fireworks and firecrackers in China are mainly produced in Liuyang of Hunan, Wanzai and Pingxiang of Jiangxi, Dongguan of Guangdong and Pucheng and Yangxian of Shaanxi. Among them, shelf fireworks were well-known in the Song Dynasty. At present, they are rarely used, so it is urgent to protect and inherit them in order to promote their continuous development.

Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province, is a traditional fireworks production area in China. Since the middle of the 18th century, the local fireworks production began. During the reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty, fireworks and firecrackers of ten thousand years had been "popular in the north and South". During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, local "men and women, big and small, took this opportunity to work.".

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were more and more fireworks employees in Wanzai, reaching tens of thousands of people, and there were nearly a thousand firecracker shops. The famous firecracker shops all over the country were Ganzhuang in Ganzhou, Zhezhuang in Zhejiang, guangzhuang in Guangzhou, etc. In the 1980s, the employees of Wanzai fireworks industry reached 150000, and its products were sold to more than 20 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China, as well as more than 20 countries and regions such as the United States and Japan.

There are many kinds of fireworks and firecrackers in Wanzai, including all red salute, big and small color guns, Jigong guns, thunder guns and so on. In terms of sound, there are 19 kinds, such as six rings and one hundred rings; in terms of length and thickness of paper, there are three cuts, four cuts and nine cuts; in terms of knot whip, there are flat edge and vertical edge (commonly known as "Dunbian"). The raw materials used in the production of Wanzai fireworks are native paper and gunpowder. The native paper is the surface core paper. The paper is tender and soft with toughness, and the gunpowder quality is also superior. The whole production process from raw material processing to finished product production is composed of more than 70 processes, all of which are operated by hand, with high technical content and complex process. Wanzai fireworks and firecrackers are free of impurities and fragrant, with high sound rate and clear and pleasant sound. They are good products for people's festivals, weddings and funerals, ancestor worship and Buddha worship.

Chinese PinYin : Yan Huo Bao Zhu Zhi Zuo Ji Yi Wan Zai Hua Pao Zhi Zuo Ji Yi