Beijing's Lunar New Year

Below is a video that illustrates (only to the degree that my mediocre camera could capture) the madness of the Chinese Spring Festival - 春节 - in Wudaokou; a neighborhood in the northwest corner of Beijing.



Speak with anyone across this incredibly fascinating country (local or foreigner) and they will surely attest to the intensity, splendor, danger, and satisfaction of setting off massive amounts of fireworks during New Year's festivities. However, there is something much deeper that I see in this tradition; harmony. In fact, I'd go so far as to propose that firecracker use in China ought to be incorporated into every index of national cohesion, or measure of public unity.

I mean, think about it: Every one, on every level (individual, family, community, and government), has his own set of priorities, right? It's the reason we have interpersonal conflict, and it's the reason countries go to war. But a few days ago - the first day of the Chinese New Year - in a corner of Beijing, I witnessed an unforgettable scene in which countless people all together forgot work, disregarded responsibility, and evaded local security guards; all in the name of participating in the national tradition of blowing stuff up! It sounds ridiculous but I believe it to be true...

Do you know how hard it is to throw a party, even for a couple dozen people, and have everyone stick to a theme? Now imagine that on a scale of hundreds of millions of people! And there isn't even a national directive for this event. People in every corner of China simply know - I'm Chinese and on New Years I will light an inordinate amount of fireworks until at least 5am in the morning. Perhaps this year's celebrations were dampened by the relative grandeur of the Olympics, or the effects of the economic crisis, but the sense of pride in being Chinese and rejoicing in age-old customs is as easy to see as...well, a white guy living in rural China.

*Also, I'd like to note one of the simple joys of life: Hearing the boom of a 'Made in China' firework, followed by the immediate wail of a car alarm. This event is only made possible by the people who deem it appropriate to set off fireworks (fireworks that in the US would only be available to those with a special license, or Hollywood directors) in the parking lots of small apartment complexes.