Shan Ding Lu

Now I am a great fan of firecrackers, firework and any chemical combination that goes pop. Despite growing up in a land where such things were severely restricted and before an Internet search for “How to make a bomb” was possible I still enjoyed a childhood of banging, burning and occasional bodily bruising.

But the generation of children before me enjoyed the annual Guy Fawkes Night where months of savings would be spent buying crackers, wizzers, poppers and bangers. I always felt we were unfairly denied some sort of childhood rite when I listened to these stories as a child.

Well, in Taiwan I can relive that part of my missed childhood. The mid-autumn festival around September is the time of year when children and adults alike buy up big on fireworks and set them off.

Normally I would be an eager participant, but with small children of my own I found myself cautiously watching and constantly warning. Trying to strike the balance of allowing them to enjoy the fascination of firework and the desire to see the night out with all their eyes, digits and limbs intact.

Tags: Children, Shan Ding Lu //