Blam, pop, boom! China's fireworks industry thrives

His fists clenched as he gazed at the sky, Qiu Chunliang, a native of Dayao, a small town in Hunan province, stood at Michelangelo Square in Florence, Italy, on a bright day in November.

Around 7 pm, a colorful cascade of fireworks burst as high as 150 meters into the air, portraying a variety of flowers inspired by Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli.

"I was both relieved and ecstatic to see that the pyrotechnical display had panned out and dazzled the audience," said Qiu, one of the masterminds behind the show.