Fireworks Bring Good Luck for Year of the Cow

We are in the midst of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday in China and while I have to go back to work on Thursday, most Chinese will be off at least until Saturday. On Monday we again witnessed the all-out fireworks war that I've described before but never get quite used to. Around midnight Shanghai appeared to be under siege as every business, hotel, compound, or neighborhood shot off their own fireworks display. Every city in America has an annual 4th of July fireworks display so the best way to imagine what Shanghai is like on New Years Day is to imagine 100 of those going off all around you at the same time.

The other aspect of New Years here is the amateur nature of it. To my knowledge there is no Shanghai city-sponsored fireworks display - it's all on a do-it-yourself, everybody in, sort of event. Take our little compound for example. The management bought around 10 boxed kits of fireworks that are pre-packaged in a large box that they simply light on fire and step back and watch. I still haven't swept all the fireworks remains off of our balcony.

I have no idea how many people are injured in Shanghai by the pyrotechnics each year - I don't think it is reported in the media here. Maybe they don't even know how many people are killed or injured. Beijing seems to know however - they report 46 injuries and one death. Nevertheless, it's all meant to bring good luck to the participants in the coming year. I hate to be a party pooper but I find that my luck is pretty good staying indoors and watching through a crack in the door.

Update: Shanghai doesn't report on injuries but the city sanitation department does report that 36,000 street sweepers swept up 1,200 tons of fireworks debris the day after New Years Eve.