Historical evolution of fireworks

2024年2月3日 | admin | sffsd
□ Li Xuepu
The high-tech fireworks at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics are dazzling, among which the gorgeous welcoming pine fireworks bloom above the Bird’s Nest, and the pine needles are very realistic.
Fireworks, also known as fireworks, are filled with gunpowder and some metal salts in containers such as paper tubes, which are ignited and then sprayed with various colors. In fact, fireworks have become a common form of folk entertainment in the Song Dynasty. In the North Song Dynasty, Meng Yuanlao’s Dream of China in Tokyo mentioned many times, such as "fireworks rising" and "setting off fireworks on the spot", which was sandwiched between "hundred plays" to increase the atmosphere.
Beijing Winter Olympics welcomes visitors with pine fireworks.
China is the first country to invent gunpowder, and it is also the hometown of firecrackers and fireworks. Emperor Yangdi has a poem saying, "There are thousands of lights on the trees, and seven flowers bloom." It refers to fireworks, which stretch out like branches when they are sprayed. Since Meng Haoran, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, vividly called it "fire tree", the word "fire tree" has also become synonymous with fireworks.
Fireworks are generally considered to be a festive product developed on the basis of firecrackers. When the earliest fireworks appeared, there is no unified statement at present. But there is no doubt that the real fireworks should appear after the invention of gunpowder. As far as the origin of fireworks is concerned, there was a program of "swallowing a knife and spitting fire" in the performance of hundreds of operas in the Han Dynasty. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Qi also quoted Huainanzi as saying: "The skill of spitting fire with thunder comes from the home of thousands of people" (this article has been lost in this edition of Huainanzi). "Containing thunder" describes the sound of firecrackers, while "spitting fire" describes the effect of spraying. This shows that there was the illusion of "spitting fire" in the Han Dynasty, and this illusion performance of "spitting fire" was the embryonic form of fireworks.
In the Song Dynasty, the fireworks production technology and color categories have reached a considerable level, such as starting a wheel, walking a line, shooting stars, field mice and so on. According to records, Li Waining in Bianjing, Kyoto (now Kaifeng) in the Northern Song Dynasty, Chen Taibao and Xia Daozi in Lin ‘an in the Southern Song Dynasty were all famous fireworks designers and performers. Fireworks had become a folk entertainment commodity at that time, and there were fireworks workshops on the market for sale.
Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty said in "Dream of Liang Lu in December": "The market is full of tin and spring … and there are explosions and fireworks." The scale of fireworks in the court is very large. According to the careful "Old Wulin Story Yuan Xi", more than 100 fireworks were set off in the palace on the night of the last Yuan Festival, and the "Record of the Old Man’s Numerous Victory in the West Lake" in the Southern Song Dynasty described the situation of "setting off five-color fireworks" among the people and the court. It is said that in Song Lizong, Rizong and the Empress Dowager watched the fireworks being set off in the court, and suddenly a "field mouse" broke into the seat of the Empress Dowager, and the Queen Dowager was scared to panic with bursts of noise and dazzling sparks.
The victory of fireworks in Bianjing, Kyoto in the Northern Song Dynasty is also very famous. Historical records also talk about the emergence of "medicine puppet" or "medicine puppet" at this time, and its specific situation can no longer be tested. Some people say that it is the kind that shows the image of opera in fireworks. In the Southern Song Dynasty, although it was partial, Zhou Mi recorded the scene of Xiaozong watching fireworks in the twelfth year of Chunxi (1185) in "Old Stories of Wulin", saying: "The palace leak was deep, and more than 100 fireworks were set off, so the music was everywhere, and the candles were everywhere, but the driving was still going on." It can be seen that the situation is prosperous. Among the dignitaries, there are many people who set up a hundred pieces of ingenuity and set off fireworks all night for fun.
The fireworks industry in Ming Dynasty developed very rapidly. At the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, Tao Zongyi recorded the scientific formula of fireworks in his book Mo E Xiao Lu. Twenty-two kinds of pyrotechnic formulas such as "Golden Lamps and Silver Platforms", "Bai Mudan", "Matsuzaka Plum", "Aquarius Flower" and "Purple Grape" are listed in the sixth volume of the book. There are many kinds of fireworks in Ming Dynasty. According to Shen Bang’s Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department, "Those who have voices say that they sound guns; Those who rise high say fire, and those who carry guns in the fire say three waves; If you don’t make a noise, you can’t afford to be a mouse on the ground … "In Ji Sheng at the age of Emperor Jing, in addition to the above names, fireworks such as china pink, Golden Pot Fishing for the Moon, Big Pear Flower and Mud Tube Flower are also introduced. Some books, such as A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital, Memories of Taoan Dreams, also talk about varieties such as grape trellis, pearl curtain, ever-burning lamp, wasp leaving the nest and beasts spitting fire.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were not only many kinds of fireworks, but also various ways to release them. In order to increase the lively atmosphere, fireworks are often not set off sporadically one by one, but are combined by tying frames, and all kinds of fireworks are tied to wooden frames in groups, and then connected in sequence with gunpowder lines. Once lit, they are kept for a long time. During the period, lights and meteors of various colors appeared, and from time to time, flowers and birds, pavilions and pavilions appeared, which was very spectacular. As stated in Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department, "A rich family gathers hundreds of ingenuity on the first day of the Yuan Dynasty, and the heat is transferred at the second time, and it is fun all night."
In the early Ming Dynasty, Qu You (word Zongji) had such a poem: "Smallpox blooms in countless months, and five-color auspicious clouds circle the platform." This also refers to the shelf fireworks, the so-called shelf fireworks, that is, on a ladder, stake or bamboo pole one or two feet high, there is a colorful pavilion like the themoon Moon Temple (or on the tower), and all kinds of fireworks and firecrackers are placed in it. Once lit, it crackled, and from time to time, meteors flew and bright bullets burst, and then thousands of flowers broke out, like dragons leaping, like a phoenix startled, and finally lightning thundered and smallpox blossomed. Perhaps this is the scene described in Qu You’s poems.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Ma Shiying also made a special fireworks with an organ and presented it to the emperor. It is said that when it was lit, there was a flying dragon hovering between the temple columns, which was temporarily legendary. "A Dream Record" describes the fireworks in the Lantern Festival in the capital of Liang, saying: "On the fireworks stand, there are ingenious stories, and rabbits are placed vertically. There are names such as fire helmets, fire umbrellas, fire horses, braziers, guns hitting Xiangyang, Wulong taking water, archways, etc. The sound of fireworks is deafening. In front of the two learning palaces, there are high-altitude lanterns, fireworks, fires, water rabbits entering the water and piercing the waves, and people are driven by the wind. There are moon races, high-altitude guns, nine dragons taking water, and nine turns to rise. " The so-called walking rabbit hangs a rabbit-shaped firework on a long line, and after burning, it sprays fire at the tail and runs quickly along the line. When the walking line hangs on the water, the rabbit can dive into the water and then jump out of the water to run to the other end of the line, which is also called "water rabbit enters the water and wears waves". The so-called "fire horse" and so on are filled with pyrotechnics in the shape of lacquered animals. "When moving, hundreds of animals burst into fire and trampled vertically and horizontally." Fireworks are also combined with lion dance, dragon lantern and other forms of entertainment, which is more attractive.
"Tao An Meng Yi" recorded "Lu Fan Fireworks" and said: "When fireworks are set off, the scenery in the lamp is collected as the scenery in the fireworks. The world’s lamp watchers look outside the lamp and fireworks, but they don’t flicker in the lamp, light, shadow, smoke or fire. They don’t know whether it is fireworks in the palace or the palace in the fireworks. " Its wonderful degree can be seen from this.
Jin Ping Mei, known as one of the four wonderful books of Ming Dynasty, depicts the plot of setting off fireworks on the Lantern Festival in the 42nd chapter "Setting off fireworks in front of luxurious doors and enjoying the drunken lanterns on the Lantern Festival". Zhang Dai, a writer in the late Ming Dynasty, described the grand occasion of setting off fireworks in Yanzhou, Shandong Province in his Dream of Taoan Volume II, and recorded the scene of watching lanterns and setting off fireworks and the types of fireworks in Beijing Lantern Festival in the Qing Dynasty. The types of fireworks and the setting-off scenes described in these materials can be described as wonderful and ingenious.
The story of setting off fireworks and firecrackers is also involved in Volume 8 of Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio: "Qingcheng is in Zhongyin, and it is sexual. When he was in charge, Yuanxi tied the donkey with sparks and firecrackers, and the head and tail were full. He led him to the door of the prefect, struck him and invited him, confessing,’ A donkey who offered fire was lucky to get a glimpse.’ When the satrap has a beloved son suffering from acne, he is in a bad mood and resigns. Please ask it in solid. The satrap had to make the man unlock the key. Just open the door, fire the engine and push the donkey in. The knocking donkey was shocked and ran wildly; Fei Huo shoots people again, so people dare not approach. The donkey went into the room, broke the ou and destroyed the retort, the fire turned to dust, and the window screens were all burnt. Family uproar. The pox child was stunned and died all night. The satrap hates it and will uncover it. It’s not necessary for you to go to court in all the schools. "
The variety of fireworks in Qing dynasty was more abundant, and the fireworks manufacturing industry developed further. Lvyuan Li, a Qing Dynasty poet, listed dozens of kinds of fireworks in the 104th chapter of The Road Lights, such as "the combination of the sun and the moon", "two immortals preaching", "five-star couplet beads", "respecting morality and washing horses", "Zhang Xian beating dogs", "a monk turning into a donkey" and "Li Sanniang pushing the mill". There is also a record about fireworks in Yanjing’s Chronicle of the Year: "On the Lantern Festival, there is a banquet in the imperial palace, fireworks are set off, and lights are put on in the shops … Fireworks shed makes all kinds of fireworks, which are competitive and curious, including boxes, flower pots, fireworks poles, thread-pierced peony, water-watered lotus, golden plate falling on the moon, grape trellis, two kicks, flying ten rings, five ghosts making a noise, and octagonal. In the Qing Dynasty, fireworks were set off in combination with scaffolding, and there was also a "combined device setting method", that is to say, two or even dozens or hundreds of fireworks were set off "coincidentally into a drama".
Zhao Yi described watching this kind of fireworks in the fifteenth year of Qianlong (1705) in Zhan Exposed Miscellanies, saying: "The medicine thread was ignited, and the results were painted in five colors. Dozens of fireworks, each of which will be finished, will burn out pagodas and pavilions, and dozens of caged pigeons and magpies will fly out by fire. The fireworks are so loud that the sound is like thunder, and the candle is half empty, but seeing millions of red fish jumping in the sea of clouds is a wonder of the world. " In the Qing Dynasty, there was also a monograph describing the production technology of fireworks-A Brief Introduction to Fireworks, which introduced in detail the discharge principle, raw material preparation, production techniques, operating procedures and other matters. Zhao Xuemin, the author, has carefully inspected the fireworks workshop. This book can be said to be a summary of the experience of fireworks production at that time, and it still has high reference value today.
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Missed the Olympic Games, China Women’s Football Team 2023 got three sap.

2023年12月20日 | admin | tetery

Reporter Wang Wei reports On the evening of November 1st, China women’s football team ushered in the second stage of the Paris Olympic preliminaries in Xiamen. The 1-1 result resulted in neither China nor South Korea qualifying. This is also the second time that China women’s football team missed the final stage of the Olympic Games after missing the 2012 London Olympic Games. After the game, China women’s football team Wang Shanshan, Dou Jiaxing and other players shed tears on the court. Without the Paris Olympic Games, China women’s football team failed to achieve their goals in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Hangzhou Asian Games and Paris Olympic preliminaries.

Before the battle of life and death, the AFC held the 2022 annual award ceremony, and Shui Qingxia won the title of the best women’s football coach in 2022-in recognition of her leading the team to win the 2022 women’s Asian Cup. But this honor is more like an invisible pressure for the women’s football team in China, last stand in the final round of the group stage. In addition, before the match, the Filipino women’s football team ranked second in Group A had already scored 6 points. On the evening of November 1st, the confrontation between Chinese and Korean women’s football teams became a "life-and-death battle". No matter whether it was the China women’s football team with 3 points or the Korean women’s football team with 4 points, only the winner had a chance to advance.

In this game, Shui Qingxia used Liu Yanqiu as the right avant-garde in the starting lineup, which is a big change. However, Yan Jinjin, who scored in both games before the Olympic preliminaries, was put on the bench. Obviously, Shui Qingxia still wanted to leave the back hand at the end.

In the first half, there were not many opportunities for the two teams. Uyghur Gumula once scored a goal for the China women’s football team, but Wu Chengshu’s offside goal was invalid. On the other hand, South Korean women’s football relies more on the 16-year-old mixed-race teenager Cathy Fair to make a killing in the frontcourt. Her breakthrough in the first half of stoppage time created a killing for veteran Chi Xiaoran, who surprised the China women’s football team with a cold sweat when she hit the post.

In the second half, it was still the Korean women’s football team that took the lead in rewriting the score. In the 61st minute, they took advantage of the free kick and Chi Xiaoran assisted Shen Yi to grab the header and then broke the deadlock. China women’s football team was forced to die. It wasn’t until the 70th minute that Shui Qingxia finally took a chance and put on Wang Linlin, the central defender, and pushed the captain Wang Shanshan to the front line. The change was immediate. In the 78th minute, China women’s football team used a free kick to equalize the score. Yan Jinjin passed the ball into the penalty area and Wang Shanshan headed the ball to score a beautiful goal.

However, the score of 1-1 was not enough for both China and South China. In the 84th minute, the women’s football team made a beautiful left-wing counterattack, and Yan Jinjin received a pass from her teammates on the right to form a single-handed trend. Unfortunately, her final shot missed the post. In the end, after five minutes of stoppage time, the China women’s football team and the Korean women’s football team drew 1-1, and both teams missed the third stage of the Paris Olympic preliminaries. Japan, Australia, North Korea and Uzbekistan (the best group is second) entered the third stage of the competition, and they will compete for the last two tickets to the Paris Olympic Games.


For China women’s football team, there are three major events this year, among which the first event failed to qualify for the Women’s World Cup group match, setting the worst result in the history of China women’s football team participating in the World Cup; Hangzhou Asian Games only won the bronze medal when Japanese women’s football team and Korean women’s football team didn’t send the strongest team to participate, which didn’t meet the expectations of the outside world. This time, the exit from the Paris Olympic preliminaries failed to extend the hope to the third stage-three sap notes, which means that China women’s football team failed to achieve the expected goals in all three major competitions this year.

The elimination of the Paris Olympic preliminaries means that the China women’s football team will have no major competition to play in the next year or two. Shui Qingxia took over as the head coach of China women’s football team after the Tokyo Olympic Games, but now she has missed the Paris Olympic Games, and a complete cycle of leading this coaching team has ended.

In this Olympic preliminaries, China women’s football team did encounter many difficulties, including Shoupeng Wang’s injury and Tang Jiali’s failure to return to the team, and Zhang Linyan’s state failed to reach the best because of some injuries. Another player studying abroad, Wu Chengshu, missed the match against Thailand because of a fever, and Li Mengwen failed to register for the match against South Korea because of injury. Because of her poor record, some tactical arrangements and personnel arrangements of Shui Qingxia have naturally been questioned by some outside voices.

After the game, some media asked Shui Qingxia whether she would continue to lead the women’s football team in China. Shui Qingxia responded: "We didn’t achieve the original goal in terms of results alone, but more young people can get exercise through the game, and we can really see that China women’s football team can do better in terms of skills and tactics besides spirit, and we can find the right way in the process of failure in the future. This is ok. As for the future, I’m not sure now. In any case, I hope that the women’s football team in China will get better and better. I hope that these girls will really enjoy the happiness brought by football on the football field and hope that they will get better and better in the future. "

After the game, Shui Qingxia talked about the preparation of the team and the topic of players studying abroad. "After training in Xiamen, I learned that overseas players came back late. I am still worried about their physical fitness, including recovery and jet lag. I will play the game two days after returning. There must be many people asking, since you have so many worries, why did you call them back? China Football Association has been encouraging more young players to go out, not just to go out, hoping that more players will gain experience and serve the motherland in the future. Personally, I am very supportive from the beginning to the present. I hope that our players will go out and see the outside world, what advantages and shortcomings they have, and see how football is played in European countries. " Shui Qingxia said.

Shui Qingxia also took the initiative to talk about Tang Jiali, who was not selected for the national team this time. "I have always supported studying abroad. Maybe many people care about Tang Jiali’s problem. She is also one of the overseas players. She is a good player. We have been communicating before, including her trip from Shanghai to Spain, including her performance in the league. She is a very powerful player. I hope she can maintain a good competitive level through the Spanish league and have the opportunity to serve her motherland and return to the team."

China women’s football team failed in the World Cup, the Asian Games and the Paris Olympic preliminaries, which made the women’s football girls very sad. After the game, Shui Qingxia hugged each team member. Wang Shanshan, captain of the China women’s football team, shed tears on the field. "In fact, we played very well in today’s game. In the future, I hope more young people can get up and carry forward the spirit of women’s football in China and never give up."

"I’m sorry that I didn’t win today’s game, which means that I can’t enter the Olympic Games in the following games. The players performed very well in today’s game, including the fighting style. The players really tried their best in this game, and I am especially grateful to the players. " Shui Qingxia apologized after the Olympic preliminaries.

At the same time, she said: "From the heart, I am quite sad. I feel sorry for these girls, because everyone has been struggling since the beginning of this year, and the women’s football team in China has its highlights. We have also seen many technical and tactical gaps and deficiencies. In fact, we are trying to adjust and change every day. From now on, the change is not good enough or fast enough. Our team members also tried their best, and I am very grateful to my team members and thank my team. "

Throughout 2023, women’s football competitions in China have been held one after another. It can’t be said that the team doesn’t work hard, but the dilemma of weak foundation and unclear direction can’t be changed in a day or two. Regarding the future of China women’s football team, Shui Qingxia said after the game: "Everyone has seen the World Cup, the Asian Games and the Olympic preliminaries. In fact, there is a big gap between us, especially in youth training, which is an important direction for future development. We don’t have any big competitions in the next two years, but if we are soberly aware of the gaps and shortcomings and calm down to deal with some details, I think the China women’s football team will go in the right direction. "

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