Da Shuhua
Da Shuhua is a Chinese Festival of Lights tradition in Nuanquan Town with a history of more than 500 years. Dubbed the “poor man’s fireworks” – in reference to the blacksmiths who first indulged in this procession – it is celebrated by throwing molten iron against cold bricks to create showers of sparks. Da Shuhua literally means “beating tree flowers”, a name born from the agricultural practice of hitting fruit trees to stimulate growth. The blacksmiths in Nuanquan named the art form as such because the outcome of it has a shape of a leafy tree canopy. Da Shuhua has been classified as one of China’s significant examples of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. It marks the start of the Dragon Boat Festival and is also used to celebrate the Lunar New Year in China.
If you drive east from Beijing, you can reach the town of Nuanquan in just under three-and-a-half hours. Located in Yu County, in the northwestern Hebei province of China, Nuanquan has a population of less than 20,000 – a stark contrast to Beijing’s 21.7 million residents.