Why are there Daily Fireworks in China?

At least once a day I jump out of my skin, sometimes spilling coffee or tea, because of sudden machine-gun-sounding fireworks. These fireworks have nothing to do with holidays and don’t happen at night, so you can barely even see the pretty colors. So why would Chinese people waste their money on day-time fireworks? Many reasons, apparently.

Traditionally, the fireworks were made by lighting bamboo and the loud noise would scare away evil spirits. Even today, the purpose is the noise not the visual which is why they are set off during the day. Some reasons to set of loud fireworks include weddings, funerals, the opening of a shop or the start and completion of a large project.

Since Chinese cities have such dense populations, you can imagine why these fireworks happen at least once a day! I think the record for me has been four scares-by firework in one day. You get used to it, but sometimes it still catches you by surprise. Like when you’re running for the bus and they start going off 3 meters behind you. Does me being scared of them make me an evil spirit?

For store openings, the fireworks are obviously set off in front of the store. When it comes to weddings or funerals however, it can be done wherever. Unfortunately people’s top choice is usually the courtyard of large residential complexes. I happen to live on the 4th floor of a 17-floor building and my badly-insulated bedroom window faces the courtyard. A firework wake-up is very unpleasant, believe me.

Due to the large amounts of people traveling with fireworks, certain safety regulations are in place. Any time you go on the metro, for example, you have to go through a metal detector and your bags are scanned. All fireworks that are found, are confiscated. In case this isn’t enough, many public areas are plastered with “no fireworks” signs.

I am not quite sure about the regulations for fireworks in large cities like Shanghai or Beijing, but in our little town no one will stop you from setting them off whenever or wherever you want. That’s why you should always expect fireworks. After all, jumping every time you hear a loud noise makes you uncool!

Do you have any funny stories about getting scared by unexpected fireworks? Please share in the comment section below!