I don't think there is any way to express the way in which Chinese people appreciate fireworks.
Rarely a night goes by during which I cannot hear the wonderful pop, BANG, B-O-O-M!!! of the gunpower covered in colorful...stuff outside my window.
I live just in front of a Hutong. A hutong is like a neighborhood, but Chinese style. It's not a real hutong. Those are only in especially touristy areas with signs (in English) pointing the way. But it is a residential area, which is kind of what "hutong" translates to.
Anyway, real live Chinese people live just behind my apartment complex. I assume this includes men, women, and children, but I haven't done any research to back this up. And these real live Chinese people LOVE to shoot fireworks. All the time.
The first time it happened, I was a little taken aback. I mean, I grew up in the country. In the South. There ARE guns. And people shoot them. In fact, I was known to shoot at a stop sign from a relative distance in my youth. Ahh youth.
But as I live in land-without-guns, I can rest assured that these aren't guns. They are just incessant (much like my sleeping lately). And they are loud (much like Mario's snoring...uh...oops).
Even in the day, I can hear the sounds reminiscent to shotguns and backfiring vehicles. Tonight the escapes happened for about 10 minutes straight. I actually looked outside to see the spectacle. And yes, there were pretty lights to accompany the OBNOXIOUS sounds.
As the Spring Festival approaches, it's getting worse.
I can only hope that once that lunar new year actually arrives, the magic of fire, chemicals, loud noises, and pretty lights hasn't worn off.
I'm hoping...
