| Fireworks 1-855-425-SAFE (7233) |
Fireworks, or rather gunpowder, are most likely to have originated in China some 2,000 years ago. Some say that fireworks were discovered by accident by a Chinese
cook who happened to mix charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter.
The Chinese named this black powder "huo yao" ("Fire Chemical") and developed it further. When the mixture was inserted into the hollow of a bamboo stick and
thrown into a fire, the gases produced a bang. The basic fire cracker was born.
From that point forward, fire crackers played an essential part in Chinese festivities -weddings, religious rituals -any cause for celebration heard their bang due to the
belief that they were thought to be powerful enough to scare off evil spirits. Chinese New Year is a particularly popular event that is celebrated with firecrackers to
usher in the new year free of the evil spirits. To this day, the simple firecracker is still the most common type of firework in China.
Some sources suggest that fireworks may have originated in India, but there is sufficient published evidence to strongly suggest otherwise.
In the Chinese city of Liu Yang in Hunan Province, and you will see a museum and temple built in the Song Dynasty dedicated to a Chinese monk named Li Tian. He
is credited with the invention of firecrackers about 1,000 years ago. The Chinese people celebrate the invention of the firecracker every April 18 by offering sacrifices
to Li Tian.
Liu Yang City and the surrounding area of Hunan Province remains the main fireworks producing region in the world. Recent trends towards capitalism in China have
created a "explosion" of growth in the fireworks industry in Liuyang. The region is proud of its fireworks heritage and links the growth to the critical mass of having a
workforce skilled in fireworks production, a humid climate and a hilly topography that all promote the efficiency and safety of the production of fireworks.
Often detractors of the fireworks industry say that fireworks are produced in China to take advantage of cheap labor. But the reality is that the fireworks industry
existed in China long before the advent of the modern era and long before the disparity in east-west wage rates, and hopefully the fireworks industry will exist long
after the Chinese economy grows to the point the wages are the same or higher then the west.
The knowledge of fireworks began to spread to the west. It is believed that Marco Polo on one of his trips to China transported this invention to the Middle East where
European Crusaders brought it to England.
The English Scholar Roger Bacon (1214-1294) was one of the first Europeans to study gunpowder and write about it.
Black powder was first used for military purposes. But these same experts began to put on elaborate displays to celebrate military victory and important state events.
The English were also fascinated with fireworks. Fireworks became very popular in Great Britain during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare mentions
fireworks in his works, and fireworks were so much enjoyed by the Queen herself that she created the position of "Fire Master of England." King James II was so
pleased with the fireworks display that celebrated his coronation that he knighted his Fire Master.
For the most part, these early fireworks displays consisted of mostly simple aerial effects. There real impact was in the use of elaborate ground displays. Giant
"machines" that consisted of rotating and moving parts "driven" by many small rocket motors with sparking tails. Elaborate "fire pictures" or "set pieces" made
paintings of fire with thousands of individual "lance" much like a modern TV set uses pixels to create a image. Each "lance" providing an individual pixel of light.
However it was the Italians and Japanese that are credited for developing the aerial shells that are most popular in today's fireworks displays.
The Italian tradition developed a unique method of shell construction that allows the production of extremely large and heavy "shells" that are cylindrical in shape and
can have many sequential breaks. These some examples of these shells are the "Hammer Shell" which has a sound similar to a blacksmith's hammer coming down
on a anvil or a "Timed Salute" were the shell breaks with many smaller reports, each exploding in perfect sequential timing.
The shells of the Japanese Tradition are the one most often seen in modern fireworks displays. These shells are characterized by spherical construction and their
effect is to create a perfect fire "flower" in the sky. Hence, in Japan, they are described as "Hanabi" and given such names as Chrysanthemum and Peony.
Modern day Chinese manufactures have perfected shells of the Japanese tradition and can mass produce excellent performing shells at a reasonable cost.
Traditional Italian style shells are not practical for mass production and thus have not found much use in commercial fireworks.
The tradition of Italian style fireworks lives on in the small country of Malta and also in USA enthusiast organizations such as the PGI "Pyrotechnics Guild International".
The modern era of Chinese manufacturers began in the early 1970s. Prior to that time, business was being done between the outside and Chinese companies
through Hong Kong brokers with little or no direct contact with mainland manufacturers.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the flow of Chinese fireworks consisted of state owned factories producing fireworks that were then exported through government
owned provincial export corporations. Products produced in Hunan went through the Hunan Export Corporation, and products produced in Jiangxi went through the
Jiangxi Export Corporation, and so on. During this period, factories were not required to make a profit, but rather their goal was to keep people working. The Chinese
government subsidized factories to keep production going.
The Provincial Export Corporation in turn sold to Hong Kong brokers who were the link between Mainland China and the foreign business entities. Their one main skill
was that they spoke both "English" and "Chinese". For this they were able to earn a substantial wage. The Hong Kong brokers also procured orders, arranged
logistics, and helped finance shipments to the U.S. distributors.
During this time period that the first formally educated leader of China, Chairman Deng Xiaoping, saw that Communism simply did not work economically. Chairman
Deng began a policy of economic reform that basically set China on the road toward capitalism.
In the 1990s, economic reform continued under Chairman Jiang Zemin as Chinese factories were privatized. They were sold and forced to turn a profit for the first
time. Often the once government employee managers of the factories, scrounged and borrowed enough money to purchase their employer from the government.
Hence the private fireworks factory was born.
At the same time, the employees of the Provincial Export Corporations left the government owned companies and were permitted to start their own trading companies.
Providing not manufacturing services but trading services.
Hence, there are two main types of companies in Chinese Fireworks. Manufactures and Trading Companies. All together there are more then 1,500 registered
companies and many more that operate with-out registration.
In order to survive, Hong Kong brokers invested money into massive marketing campaigns. Producing private labels with elaborate colorful labels.
Chinese Trading companies have now followed this lead and are producing their own private labels.
Bowman Global Group has an extensive knowledge of the pyrotechnics industry and through it's offices in China and Hong Kong can provide you the best quality
fireworks made at the most reasonable prices.
cook who happened to mix charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter.
The Chinese named this black powder "huo yao" ("Fire Chemical") and developed it further. When the mixture was inserted into the hollow of a bamboo stick and
thrown into a fire, the gases produced a bang. The basic fire cracker was born.
From that point forward, fire crackers played an essential part in Chinese festivities -weddings, religious rituals -any cause for celebration heard their bang due to the
belief that they were thought to be powerful enough to scare off evil spirits. Chinese New Year is a particularly popular event that is celebrated with firecrackers to
usher in the new year free of the evil spirits. To this day, the simple firecracker is still the most common type of firework in China.
Some sources suggest that fireworks may have originated in India, but there is sufficient published evidence to strongly suggest otherwise.
In the Chinese city of Liu Yang in Hunan Province, and you will see a museum and temple built in the Song Dynasty dedicated to a Chinese monk named Li Tian. He
is credited with the invention of firecrackers about 1,000 years ago. The Chinese people celebrate the invention of the firecracker every April 18 by offering sacrifices
to Li Tian.
Liu Yang City and the surrounding area of Hunan Province remains the main fireworks producing region in the world. Recent trends towards capitalism in China have
created a "explosion" of growth in the fireworks industry in Liuyang. The region is proud of its fireworks heritage and links the growth to the critical mass of having a
workforce skilled in fireworks production, a humid climate and a hilly topography that all promote the efficiency and safety of the production of fireworks.
Often detractors of the fireworks industry say that fireworks are produced in China to take advantage of cheap labor. But the reality is that the fireworks industry
existed in China long before the advent of the modern era and long before the disparity in east-west wage rates, and hopefully the fireworks industry will exist long
after the Chinese economy grows to the point the wages are the same or higher then the west.
The knowledge of fireworks began to spread to the west. It is believed that Marco Polo on one of his trips to China transported this invention to the Middle East where
European Crusaders brought it to England.
The English Scholar Roger Bacon (1214-1294) was one of the first Europeans to study gunpowder and write about it.
Black powder was first used for military purposes. But these same experts began to put on elaborate displays to celebrate military victory and important state events.
The English were also fascinated with fireworks. Fireworks became very popular in Great Britain during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. William Shakespeare mentions
fireworks in his works, and fireworks were so much enjoyed by the Queen herself that she created the position of "Fire Master of England." King James II was so
pleased with the fireworks display that celebrated his coronation that he knighted his Fire Master.
For the most part, these early fireworks displays consisted of mostly simple aerial effects. There real impact was in the use of elaborate ground displays. Giant
"machines" that consisted of rotating and moving parts "driven" by many small rocket motors with sparking tails. Elaborate "fire pictures" or "set pieces" made
paintings of fire with thousands of individual "lance" much like a modern TV set uses pixels to create a image. Each "lance" providing an individual pixel of light.
However it was the Italians and Japanese that are credited for developing the aerial shells that are most popular in today's fireworks displays.
The Italian tradition developed a unique method of shell construction that allows the production of extremely large and heavy "shells" that are cylindrical in shape and
can have many sequential breaks. These some examples of these shells are the "Hammer Shell" which has a sound similar to a blacksmith's hammer coming down
on a anvil or a "Timed Salute" were the shell breaks with many smaller reports, each exploding in perfect sequential timing.
The shells of the Japanese Tradition are the one most often seen in modern fireworks displays. These shells are characterized by spherical construction and their
effect is to create a perfect fire "flower" in the sky. Hence, in Japan, they are described as "Hanabi" and given such names as Chrysanthemum and Peony.
Modern day Chinese manufactures have perfected shells of the Japanese tradition and can mass produce excellent performing shells at a reasonable cost.
Traditional Italian style shells are not practical for mass production and thus have not found much use in commercial fireworks.
The tradition of Italian style fireworks lives on in the small country of Malta and also in USA enthusiast organizations such as the PGI "Pyrotechnics Guild International".
The modern era of Chinese manufacturers began in the early 1970s. Prior to that time, business was being done between the outside and Chinese companies
through Hong Kong brokers with little or no direct contact with mainland manufacturers.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the flow of Chinese fireworks consisted of state owned factories producing fireworks that were then exported through government
owned provincial export corporations. Products produced in Hunan went through the Hunan Export Corporation, and products produced in Jiangxi went through the
Jiangxi Export Corporation, and so on. During this period, factories were not required to make a profit, but rather their goal was to keep people working. The Chinese
government subsidized factories to keep production going.
The Provincial Export Corporation in turn sold to Hong Kong brokers who were the link between Mainland China and the foreign business entities. Their one main skill
was that they spoke both "English" and "Chinese". For this they were able to earn a substantial wage. The Hong Kong brokers also procured orders, arranged
logistics, and helped finance shipments to the U.S. distributors.
During this time period that the first formally educated leader of China, Chairman Deng Xiaoping, saw that Communism simply did not work economically. Chairman
Deng began a policy of economic reform that basically set China on the road toward capitalism.
In the 1990s, economic reform continued under Chairman Jiang Zemin as Chinese factories were privatized. They were sold and forced to turn a profit for the first
time. Often the once government employee managers of the factories, scrounged and borrowed enough money to purchase their employer from the government.
Hence the private fireworks factory was born.
At the same time, the employees of the Provincial Export Corporations left the government owned companies and were permitted to start their own trading companies.
Providing not manufacturing services but trading services.
Hence, there are two main types of companies in Chinese Fireworks. Manufactures and Trading Companies. All together there are more then 1,500 registered
companies and many more that operate with-out registration.
In order to survive, Hong Kong brokers invested money into massive marketing campaigns. Producing private labels with elaborate colorful labels.
Chinese Trading companies have now followed this lead and are producing their own private labels.
Bowman Global Group has an extensive knowledge of the pyrotechnics industry and through it's offices in China and Hong Kong can provide you the best quality
fireworks made at the most reasonable prices.
| A Brief History of Fireworks |
Proud Member of AFSL
| The Home of "Forest Fireworks" |
| Welcome to Forest Fireworks. Our locations will be fully stocked for the 2012 selling season. We will be loaded with Duck and Cock Brand firecrackers, as well as our premier brand of consumer fireworks. Forest Fireworks is also home to one of the finest selections of display fireworks available. If you’re looking for the lowest prices, then YOU MUST SHOP at Forest Fireworks. Forest Fireworks owns their own factory in China and we make sure every firecracker is built to the highest International standards. More Pop, More Flash. No one builds firecrackers better then Forest. All merchandise is tested by the AFSL for compliance and safety standards. We look forward to serving you. Watch for our list of locations and catalog early in 2012. |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| CFIG Chinese Fireworks Inspection Group |