How one city in China became the fireworks factory of the world
Indian Express - Explained · Published 8 November 2026 · Last updated
China controls 90% of global fireworks manufacturing through Liuyang's industrial cluster, which commands 70% of national exports while confronting persistent fatal industrial accidents, strict safety regulations, and environmental controversies.
Key points
- China manufactures 90% of global fireworks, with Liuyang in southern Hunan province supplying roughly 60% of China's domestic inventory and 70% of its total export volume.
- India's domestic pyrotechnics industry relies predominantly on the production hub of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, contrasting with China's global export monopoly.
- A catastrophic industrial explosion at a Liuyang manufacturing unit in May 2026 killed 26 workers, underscoring recurring industrial workplace hazards.
- Under the 2006 National Regulations on Fireworks Safety, Chinese local administrations retain legal authority to limit or ban fireworks based on time, location, and product classification.
- China's emotional economy—covering entertainment and experience-driven consumption—expanded to 2.7 trillion yuan ($380 billion) in 2025 and is projected by iiMedia Research to surpass 4.5 trillion yuan by 2029.
- Liuyang has transformed pyrotechnics into a permanent tourism asset via its Sky Theater, staging 142 major spectacles and drawing over 7 million visitors since 2023.
- Industrial safety reforms in Liuyang include installing AI-enabled cameras linked to automated risk-warning networks and mechanically isolating hazardous chemical processing from workers.
- Environmental crackdowns have encountered severe civic pushback, exemplified by Henan province repealing a comprehensive anti-pollution fireworks ban within 48 hours in 2017 following rural unrest.
Background
- 618–907 CE: Chinese alchemists during the Tang Dynasty accidentally discovered early pyrotechnics while mixing saltpetre and sulphur inside bamboo tubes in a search for immortality.
- 1949: The founding of the modern communist state disrupted traditional pyrotechnic cottage workshops due to ongoing armed conflicts and the Cultural Revolution.
- 1972: US President Richard Nixon's diplomatic visit to China catalyzed bilateral interactions, facilitating the transfer of Western industrial know-how back to Chinese fireworks factories.
- Pre-1990s: Dongguan in Guangdong province spearheaded China's pyrotechnic export trade, capitalizing on port connectivity via the Pearl River and proximity to Hong Kong.
- 1990s: Industrial accidents and soaring urban land costs forced pyrotechnic operations out of Guangdong, shifting the manufacturing center back to Liuyang.
- 2018: Municipal authorities in Beijing enforced strict prohibitions on fireworks to curb hazardous winter smog, triggering cultural resistance among residents.
UPSC relevance, Prelims facts and Mains angle for this issue are in the full SWAदेSH note.
Original report: Indian Express - Explained