A dazzling fireworks display choreographed by Zhong Liang illuminates the night sky on February 2, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Zhong Liang

Editor's Note:

In recent years, with the continuous upgrading of China's products and the acceleration of internationalization, many local specialties in China have gradually broken regional boundaries and entered global markets, becoming new favorites among international consumers. In this "My Treasured Hometown" series, we will focus on these distinctive local products and explore how, through preserving the traditions and making innovations to break new ground, they have evolved from small workshops and family factories into internationally recognized brands.

The second installment reveals how Liuyang, a county-level city in China, rose to become the world's fireworks hub through continuous innovation and improvement. Local firework makers tell stories of cultural exchange and integration through their dazzling displays illuminating different skies around the globe.

During the Spring Festival holiday, millions across China and beyond were captivated by breathtaking displays of fireworks that transformed night skies into vibrant canvases of light. At the heart of this dazzling celebration was Liuyang, widely known as "hometown of fireworks," a county-level city in Central China's Hunan Province.

This stunning, festive celebration was not limited to Liuyang. On Chinese New Year's Eve which fell on January 28 this year, thousands of people gathered at Mianyang's Jinxi Lake in Southwest China's Sichuan Province to witness a synchronized spectacle directed by Huang Cheng, a fireworks maestro from Liuyang. As thousands of fireworks erupted in fiery blooms, they were accompanied by intricate drone formations that painted scenes of poetry and festivity.

Meanwhile, in Penang, Malaysia, Liuyang-crafted fireworks lit up the night with colorful "seven-colored auspicious clouds" and enchanting "blue oceans," drawing cheers from delighted spectators.

For Liuyang's firework makers, Spring Festival marks a period of intense activity and pride. Huang, who has dedicated 15 years to this craft, has spent nine New Year's Eves at the helm of the control panel of firework displays in various locations across China. 

"Fireworks hold deep cultural significance for Chinese people, symbolizing happiness and hope carried on the wings of vibrant light. Liuyang is a city where this centuries-old tradition meets modern technology to bring joy and light to homes across China and beyond," Huang told the Global Times.

Liuyang is deemed the world's fireworks hub. Today, the city boasts 431 firework and firecracker manufacturing enterprises, generating an annual output value exceeding 50 billion yuan ($6.86 billion). China stands as the world's largest producer and exporter of fireworks and firecrackers, with almost 70 percent of its exports originating from Liuyang, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Beyond the spectacle, driven by technological advancements and cultural innovation, Liuyang's fireworks industry illuminates not just the sky, but also serves as a unique ambassador of Chinese culture on the global stage, showcasing a dazzling spectacle of tradition and modernity for international spectators. 

From hand-crafted to high-tech

A firework display featuring drones and Liuyang fireworks is hosted in Liuyang, Central China's Hunan Province, on December 31, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Yi Xin

"I am honored to witness Liuyang's transformation from 'handicraft workshops' to 'tech-powered factory clusters,'" said Huang.

Liuyang's industrial and cultural DNA is intertwined with pyrotechnics. The city's most famous road is called "Fireworks Avenue," and its most revered temple is dedicated to the legendary inventor of firecrackers Li Tian, preserving a 1,400-year legacy. Legend has it that Li drew inspiration from bamboo crackling in fire, pioneering the earliest firecrackers and igniting a craft that still defines the city today.

Once a niche and hazardous industry, China's fireworks sector had met strict regulations and safety challenges. Policy shifts in recent year, however, have accelerated its reinvention. Many places like Dongying, Binzhou, and Dalian permitted regulated firework releases in designated areas at specified times during the 2025 Spring Festival, while cities such as Liuyang, Shanghai, and Tianjin leveraged grand pyrotechnic displays to boost cultural tourism.

"Fireworks sales during the Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival periods now account for 60 to 70 percent of our annual revenue," Zhong Liang, vice general manager of the Liuyang Dancing Fireworks Group, told the Global Times.

Liuyang has a long history of firework production and is a leader in terms of employee proficiency and the precision of raw and auxiliary materials. However, firework companies in Liuyang are well aware that traditional products also need continuous innovation and development to meet market demand, said Zhong.

As more environmentally friendly, safer, and more entertaining firework products emerge, technological innovation is changing the consumption scenarios of fireworks. Huang, an electronic engineer, epitomizes this fusion of tradition and innovation. After founding the fireworks show brand "Fire-show," he pioneered scenario-based firework art, blending pyrotechnics with storytelling, music, and drones.

"Fireworks were once an art of gunpowder and paper tubes; now, they're a dance of digits and code," he told Global Times.

Advanced electronic systems that synchronize fireworks with music, lights, and drone formations at the snap of a finger have become a common feature in many fireworks shows.

"Coordinating thousands of igniters within 0.1-second margins - this is the confidence Chinese technology affords," Huang said. He also noted that the breakthroughs in Chinese drone technology have also enabled fireworks to break through physical limitations. "In the past, it was difficult to achieve both payload capacity and formation flying. Now, a single drone can carry 3 kilograms of fireworks and form dynamic patterns."

The Fire-show is pushing boundaries further. Yi Xin, the general manager of the brand center of the Fire-show, told the Global Times that the company's team is currently developing firework installation art, embedding firework elements into sculptures or buildings. The company is also working on wearable firework skirts using cold fireworks to avoid burns.

责编：田梦瑶

一审：田梦瑶

二审：唐煜斯

三审：秦慧英

来源：湖南省政府门户网