What you are looking at is ALL amateurs. No training, no rules, no safety precautions, all legal. In fact, there were cop cars driving within a couple feet of these being launched at the edge of the roads. The "big show" by the professionals is the following night, the 2nd day of the "new year".
This is early new year's eve.
As the evening progesses, the frequency and quantity escalates. And a plume of black smoke begins to grow over the city.
During the fireworks, the window needed a little additional cleaning. So Rob "stepped out" and cleaned it. We live on the 15th floor, and there is an 8 inch ledge. Hey, why pay someone a dollar an hour to clean when you can do it yourself, right?
These fireworks are outside our side bedroom window. I mean RIGHT outside our bedroom window. The security guards at our building had their little guard shack full of fireworks for the evening. A little before midnight they started lighting off everything from firecrackers to some pretty big fireworks right beside our building. As you opened the side bedroom window, leaned out, and looked straight down, you could see the launcher they were firing out of. Probably not the smartest move, we opened the window so we could photograph and video tape the launcher, and the fireworks that were exploding RIGHT in front of the window. I mean, the spray coming off of them was at the height of our window, and coming within inches of hitting us. In fact, our bed and comforter are right inside that window, and as our friends are standing there watching it, I'm wondering what the odds are of some of the firework spray coming through the window and igniting the comforter. But hey, the fire station is right across the street from our building, so we were fine, right?
Midnight is pretty intense. The black smoke fills the air from 6 straight hours of thousands of people all firing off fireworks and firecrackers of all sizes. Throughout the night the intensity has been building. Then at midnight the sky errupts in all directions and the city is blanketed with fireworks in all directions as long strings of firecrackers go off all over the town on the ground.
It is perfectly legal to buy fireworks and fire them any time, any place. And we're not talking little fireworks. We're talking the kind you see the professionals shoot on the 4th of July. They save up all year to be able to afford these. Each person out there shooting off fireworks can spend up to $1500 (in US money, $10,000 yuan) on this one evening. Remember, many only make around $50 (US dollar) a WEEK. This night is a BIG deal. - The event of the year. They "warm up" for about a week leading up to New Year's Eve, and that evening the action starts right after dark, and runs steady, climaxing at midnight, and then continuing on - with a lot less fireworks and a lot more fire crackers, until after 1:30 AM - with periodic explosions throughout the entire night. Then early in the morning you are awakened to firecrackers again. By mid morning it seems like a normal day outside, and the clean up is well under way. You can't believe the mess of red paper in the streets from all of those fireworks. And even more amazing is how fast it gets cleaned up. They sweep it up into piles with their home made brooms, and some burn the pile (not a real safe thing if there are a few duds in the pile that go off), and others bag it all in black trash bags. Then the streets are lined with filled black trash bags.
This was "amateur night". The day after New Year's Day, Jan 27, the govt. puts on "the big show". Lucky for us, it's going to be in the square right outside our apartment. So our picture windows face the event that this town of 6 million people will either be at, or wish they were at. And we'll be able to watch it from the comfort of our toasty, warm apartment. (We are very popular this time of year with our friends.)
The show is supposed to run every night for 7 nights, from Jan 27 - Feb 2. So all in all, the fireworks and celebrating lasts for 15 nights.
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