Keeping a Chinese tradition safe and alive

When I saw fireworks for the first time in Beijing, the sights and sounds on the streets of the capital blew me away.

Coming from a tropical country where celebratory pyrotechnics are limited to strictly controlled public displays or handheld sparklers, the experience of fireworks and firecrackers just around the corner of any neighborhood involves a primal attraction to heat and light that help dispel cold, wintry nights.

So when news of the latest mishap in China involving fireworks broke over the weekend, I found myself once again torn between supporting the Chinese tradition and calling for a ban on it.