The Yuan Dynasty prohibited developments that would ultimately lead to fireworks.
Learning characteristics of the Chinese fireworks industry takes you on a wild ride throughout history. From 457 B.C., according to Big Fireworks, early signs of the exploding atmospheric decorations were well in the making. The Chinese continue to blaze trails in firework creation and manufacturing, while suffering continual rebuke from observers.
History
Ancient Chinese alchemists developed several inventions that would change the world forever. The compass, writing ink and paper, for example, were considered several of the great inventions of China, according to Big Fireworks. Among the great inventions was gunpowder. The earliest experimentation with gunpowder began during the Han Dynasty -- between 206 and 220 B.C. Used as fuel, gunpowder generated the first fireworks 200 to 300 years later during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Design
Chinese fireworks were first created with a bamboo casing packed with gunpowder. The casings were then tossed into burning fires and they would explode, according to The Chemistry of Fireworks. The early industry began producing the bamboo fireworks and were eventually encased with paper -- a safer and less-expensive substitute -- and designed with wicks.
Marketing
Fireworks were first manufactured for use during religious events. The loud bang sounds of the fireworks were meant to ward off harmful energy and spirits, according to the History of Fireworks. The objects were later marketed for use during times of celebration -- including weddings and the Chinese New Year. Early fireworks exports went as far as Southeast Asia in 1875. Fireworks exports were sent worldwide by the start of the 20th century.
Machines
Fireworks were put together by hand up until the 1970s, according to China Daily Europe. The fact that fireworks were put together exclusively by hand was the cause of outrage by human rights organizations around the world. Even with the use of machines, which can safely construct fireworks, many Chinese companies still employ workers to concoct the exploding objects by hand. Some companies, the Lidu Fireworks Corporation, for example, have relied on machines almost exclusively since the 1980s. With the aid of machines, Lidu is able to produce upwards of 380,000 tons of fireworks per year.
Controversy
The Chinese fireworks industry is rife with controversy, according to China Daily Europe. Toxic chemicals and a dangerous atmosphere surround workers at all times. Regardless, many Chinese officials and manufacturing plant supervisors turn a blind eye to what many consider a lack of safety and health regulations. As of July, 2011, only six out of 10 Chinese manufacturing plants use machines to safely build fireworks. Even with an average of 445 unintended in-house explosions per year, Sun Huashan, China's deputy director of the State Administration for Production Safety, publicly announced in 2004 that the country must institute stronger regulations to protect workers.
