It's just after midnight in China, the Year of the Ox, and we just experienced our first Chinese New Year. I know Don is also blogging about this, but I have to say, that was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. We've been seeing fireworks and hearing firecrackers all evening, but as midnight approached, the intensity and frequency increased. We went outside to experience the full sight, sound and taste (from the thick smoke).
People were setting off fireworks in front of our apartment building, in back of our apartment, at the nearby apartments. And not chintzy fireworks, but honest-to-goodness huge professional-looking fireworks. People were lighting firecrackers on their rooftops, and fireworks were coming up out of every apartment complex, lighting the windows of the highrise buildings. Every direction we looked we could see fireworks or see someone setting off fire crackers. It was so loud we couldn't hear each other, and it continued for about 45 minutes. As Don said, it was like being in the fireworks.
The main concentration has died down, but you can still hear popping and booming across the city. Apparently this will continue all week, to some degree, as the New Year celebrations continue. I don't know how much sleep we'll get tonight, if this goes on, but it's worth it.
Monday, January 26, 2009
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