This Day, That Year

Item from April 6, 1997, in China Daily: People older than 30 probably remember when matches required ration coupons because they were so scarce.

But matches are no longer a necessity that must be rationed now that people use lighters and electronic igniters. As a result, match producers are struggling to keep the flame burning.

When matches first became available in China, they were known as yanghuo, which means foreign fire, denoting their exotic origins. Matches were first imported into China in 1865.