Yanhuobaozhu Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
Firecrackers are first recorded in the Jingchu Suishi Ji (Records of the Seasons of Jingchu) by Zong Lin of the Liang dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which describes the custom of rising at cockcrow and first setting off firecrackers in the courtyard to drive away evil spirits. In the Song dynasty, bamboo tubes were abandoned in favor of wrapping gunpowder in paper to produce the explosion. In the Southern Song, the capital Hangzhou already saw the appearance of small firecrackers strung together, commonly known as "bianpao" (firecracker strings). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, firecrackers developed into a great variety of forms, with famous types such as the double-bang "Thunder that Shakes the Sky," the "Three Rising Waves," the "Two-Kick," and the "Ten-Shot Flying Sky." Fireworks, also called "yanhuo," "lihua" (ceremonial flowers), and the like, began in the Sui and Tang dynasties, flourished in the Song, and became widely popular in the Ming and Qing. By the Tang dynasty there already appeared "gunpowder variety-show fireworks" that could present various designs such as fruits and melons, animals, and ghosts and monsters. In the Southern Song, shelf-mounted fireworks were extremely popular. According to the Wanshu Zaji (Miscellaneous Records of Wanshu), the Ming-dynasty capital Beijing had an enormous variety of fireworks: those in paper cases were called "flower tubes," those in clay cases "earthen pots," and those in bamboo baskets "flower boxes," capable of displaying designs such as the ribbon bird, grape trellis, pearl curtain, and eternal lamp. The Qing-dynasty Dijing Suishi Jisheng (Records of the Victory of the Capital's Seasons) describes the capital's fireworks of the time as "stories of several scenes packed in brocade boxes, with figures so lifelike, feathers and plumage, flowers and plants rendered with the utmost beauty of ornament." Pucheng "ganhuo" (pole fire) is an ancient court low-altitude firework that has been passed down to the present; its making craft now survives in Leifang Village, Jingyao Town, Pucheng County, Shaanxi Province, and is held by inheritors of the Li family in the village. According to research, gunpowder production in Pucheng originated in the Tang and Song periods, while the "pole fire" supported on poles rose in the Jin and Yuan and flourished in the Ming and Qing, with a history of nearly a thousand years to this day.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
China is the country that earliest invented gunpowder in the world, and the fireworks and firecrackers made from gunpowder likewise have a long history and enjoy a high reputation worldwide. What were called "baozhu" (firecrackers) at the time were in fact burning bamboo tubes, which caused the air inside to heat up and burst with a sound. After the Sui and Tang, the practice changed to packing gunpowder into bamboo tubes. According to the Wulin Jiushi (Old Tales of Wulin), once this kind of firecracker was lit it crackled continuously to the end, "one lighting producing over a hundred unbroken reports." Modern firecrackers have further developed and been perfected in type and craft, forming a complete production system, with many varieties such as single-bang, double-bang, linked-bang, string firecrackers, and volley firecrackers, and multiple craft techniques including tube-rolling, tube-cutting, bottom-pasting, mud-filling, fuse-powder application, and eye-sealing. Firework colors are mainly produced by adding different chemical compounds to gunpowder—for example, adding sodium salts yields yellow, potassium salts purple, strontium salts red, barium salts green, and copper salts blue. It uses sulfur, mirabilite (Glauber's salt), and willow-wood charcoal—abundant in Pucheng—as raw materials. After making gunpowder according to a secret formula, and through exquisite paper-framing modeling, closely guarded fuse layouts, and frame tying, it is made into civil and martial pole fires. Once lit, they display unique sound, light, and color, presenting beautiful mountains and rivers and legendary figures and story scenes before the viewer, dazzling and overwhelming—truly a unique wonder of China. The superb skill of Pucheng pole fire has been performed in countries across Europe and Asia, winning wide acclaim. Since the founding of the People's Republic, many state leaders have watched Pucheng pole fire performances.
Fireworks hung on poles
Pole-borne fireworks hang high and keep burning through several nights, so temple fairs can be illuminated without taking the ground.
The principle of the burst
China's invention of gunpowder underlies the craft: heat trapped in a bamboo tube burst it, and from the Sui and Tang the tube was packed with powder.
A hundred reports from one cord
Segmented fuse passes the flame from charge to charge, so a single cord keeps cracking for dozens of breaths.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The fireworks and firecracker making craft is known as "pole fire" in the Pucheng area of Shaanxi. Pucheng lies in the eastern Guanzhong region, north of the Luo River; since the Tang and Song it has had the use of gunpowder and firearms, and local shehuo (community rites) and temple fairs set off pole fire every year, so the workshops open according to the seasons. Pucheng pole fire is noted for being suspended on long poles and for being able to burn continuously for several days, distinct in its tradition from Liuyang firecrackers.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Liuyanghuapao Making Craftsmanship · Yanhuobaozhu Making Craftsmanship · Yanhuobaozhu Making Craftsmanship · Yanhuobaozhu Making Craftsmanship · Yanhuobaozhu Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
China's fireworks and firecrackers are mainly produced in Liuyang in Hunan, Wanzai and Pingxiang in Jiangxi, Dongguan in Guangdong, and Pucheng and Yang counties in Shaanxi, among other places. Among these, shelf-mounted fireworks were already famous in the Song dynasty; they are now rarely set off and urgently need protection and transmission to ensure their continuation and development. Pucheng pole fire has a long history and unique form, with high historical and cultural research value. Li Haiyan (per the official archival records of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in December 1938, from Pucheng County, Shaanxi Province. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item "Fireworks and Firecracker Making Craft (Pucheng Pole Fire Craft)." He began pole-fire making in 1955 and has a history of artistry of more than sixty years to this day. He is able to master the core skills of formulating gunpowder, framing, laying fuses, and painting exteriors. The civil-fire and martial-fire pole-fire models he makes include dozens of varieties such as dramas, legends, and architecture. Among them, the "old pole," "winnowing-basket pole," "fire boat," and "fire horse" are signature models for setting off pole fire and representative works for building atmosphere at the opening. From 1957 to 1960, he went to Beijing four times to perform. In 1992, he was invited to Japan to participate in the tenth-anniversary celebration of Sino-Japanese friendship and perform pole fire.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhong Ziqi 03-1342
- Yin Changtai 03-1343
- Zhang Weidai 03-1344
- Liang Zhongmin 04-1866
- Li Haiyan 05-2779
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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