At 8:30 p.m. on October 10th, the anniversary of the 1911 Revolution and the national holiday for the Republic of China, after the spectacular firework display is over and before the spectators have gone home, employees from the Combined Service Forces (CSF) are already on the banks of the Tamsui River guarding the unexploded firecrackers. Should one be brought home by a curious member of the public, it probably would bring the fire department and an ambulance over in a hurry.
After all the excitement has concluded, Liu Lien-san sleeps soundly at home, better than he has in a long time. For the past three months, as CSF director of the firework show, his life has been a series of questions. "Has that one been made yet?" "How does the weather look tomorrow? Can we dry them in the sun?" "Did the pattern come out the way we expected?" His production is composed of 6000 firecrackers, and requires from him and his assistants an unusual combination of creativity, meticulousness, bravery, and quick hands.
Firecracker factories are unusual places. Before entering the plant, workers must don a pair of shoes which conduct electricity, step on a special conductivity platform and grasp a copper post. Only after all the static electricity has been drained out of the worker can he or she enter the factory, with its anti-explosive switches, motors, and lights. Smoking, by the way, is prohibited. Other decorations found outside the factory include fire hydrants and extinguishers.
While the types of firecrackers are legion, the manufacturing process is relatively simple. Specialists match the necessary chemicals for the designed effect and color, and the powder is molded and then cut into pieces. The pieces are saturated in layers of combustion powder and finally packaged, ready for igniting.
The first step presents perhaps the most problems. What the next October 10th will offer depends on favorable reactions from past performances, popular displays at other shows, suggestions from outsiders, and ideas from within the CSF.
Matching chemicals is a frustrating and often explosive task. Over the years, Liu has come to know which combinations are lethal, but he and his staff still encounter problems. When stumped with an idea whose time refuses to come, they consult chemistry books, seek out advice both foreign and domestic, and continue to experiment until their firecrackers produce the desired result.
After this sometimes arduous stage is completed, technicians mold the chemical powder into strips and then cut them into one centimeter cubes. The cubes are placed in a sugar-coating barrel, which layer by layer saturates them with color and combustion powder.
The entire piece is placed in the sun to dry, an additive is applied to aid with ignition, then dried, and another layer is added. Firecrackers usually have between ten to twenty layers, which sometimes ignite so quickly only experts notice the explosion.
At this point, all the elements in the firecrackers, except for the coloring, are extremely volatile, and the slightest bit of friction or static electricity can set them off, and for this reason the barrel which helps saturate the pieces is turned at a painfully slow rate, in a process which takes ten minutes.
In the final stage, the pieces are placed in a shell-like package, with particular attention being paid to their order of arrangement. Careless packing results in a miscoordination of color and sound, wasting weeks of preparation. The material used is bakelite powder, which undergoes high temperature and high pressure treatment before being made suitable. Gunpowder is added to explode the package. Rice husks may also be added, since they facilitate burning, and on October 10th spectators may sometimes hear a strange sound as rice shells fall to earth. The other half of the shell is then joined to the original part, wrapped in paper, dried in the sun, and the firecracker is ready for launching.
Sending fireworks into the sky requires using a mortar-like funnel, a fuse, and gunpowder. The funnel must be firmly planted and the fuse and gunpowder properly ignited for a successful launch. As the projectile climbs, the fuse explodes the chemicals inside, producing all sorts of colors, patterns, and sounds.
One favorite is called the Dragon, which creates an effect similar to a dragon's tail and produces a whistling sound. The initial gunpowder is placed in a paper tube deliberately left unbalanced, meaning that when it explodes, the pieces ignite in a topsy-turvy, unpredictable fashion. Sometimes gunpowder is placed at the base of the tube, which at the end punctuates the exit of the dragon's tail with a loud boom, created when certain chemicals interact with the atmosphere.
China is said to have invented gunpowder, but historians are unclear exactly when. Firecrackers were well in evidence during the Sung dynasty (960-1279), and some researchers see evidence for their existence as early as the Era of Warring States (403-222 B.C.). Today nations all over the globe use firework displays to celebrate important holidays, but the major manufacturers are concentrated in Taiwan, Japan, the U.S., and E Owing to the dangers involved, much of the work is still performed by hand. Exports from Taiwan's six private factories last year amounted to US$7 million.
Liu Lien-san's most memorable experience was this year's spring show at Kinmen. When the show got underway, the mainland Chinese troops across the straits became a bit excited and began shooting over tracer bullets. "But," says Liu with a smile, "Theirs weren't as pretty as Ours."
(Translated by Mark Halperin)
[Picture Caption]
In a factory filled with dust, a worker checks the progress of firecrackers in the revolving barrel. (Photo coortesy of C.S.F.)
The calluses of Liu Lien-san come from over thirty years in the firework business.
A magnificent firework display over a soft river makes for a spectacular scene.
Chu Ch'ing-te is the oldest worker in the factory. Every wrinkle has a story. His nimble fingers assemble firecrackers with both care and quickness.
Wrapped firecrackers in an unclosed package.
Red, blue, and yellow firecrackers yield a mosaic of gorgeous hues.
Fireworks are first packed in wrapping paper and then have their surfaces pressed flat.
The calluses of Liu Lien-san come from over thirty years in the firework business.
Chu Ch'ing-te is the oldest worker in the factory. Every wrinkle has a story. His nimble fingers assemble firecrackers with both care and quickness.
A magnificent firework display over a soft river makes for a spectacular scene.
Chu Ch'ing-te is the oldest worker in the factory. Every wrinkle has a story. His nimble fingers assemble firecrackers with both care and quickness.
Chu Ch'ing-te is the oldest worker in the factory. Every wrinkle has a story. His nimble fingers assemble firecrackers with both care and quickness.
Wrapped firecrackers in an unclosed package.
Red, blue, and yellow firecrackers yield a mosaic of gorgeous hues.
Fireworks are first packed in wrapping paper and then have their surfaces pressed flat.
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