The Evolution of Firecrackers

爆竹的演变

Setting off firecrackers is a practice handed down from the remote past,when burning bamboo stems were burnt. Bamboo stems have joints¹ and are hollow inside. When they are burnt,the air inside expands after being heated,and the stems themselves burst open and make a loud cracking sound. Later on, people placed gunpowder² in the bamboo stems and thus invented firecrackers. Still later, paper rolls replaced bamboo stems. By the close of the Qing Dynasty,there were already special workshops in China making all kinds of firecrackers.

燃放鞭炮是从遥远的过去流传下来的传统，当燃烧竹筒被燃烧后。竹子的有茎结且内部中空。当它们被烧毁，空气被加热后内部膨胀，而茎会突然爆开，发出很大的碎裂声。后来，人们把火药放置在竹茎内，从而发明了鞭炮。再后来，纸卷代替竹茎。临近清代，在中国就已经有制作各种鞭炮的工作坊。