I arrived back in Hangzhou just in time for the end of Spring Festival with the finale being the Lantern Festival. It is sort of “the parties over” announcement “so get back to work”. Picture July 4th and Christmas decorations combined. They make various shapes with wire and cover them with silk or a facsimile and light them from the inside. The general theme this year had a lot of rats, coins, dragons and of course Olympic references. I bused into Hangzhou last night and had dinner with Ron, another American teacher, and some of his Chinese friends. After dinner we joined the crowds and walked around to watch the fireworks and see one of the lantern displays. Weird thing was the fireworks were all around, not located in one predicable safe spot. We actually drove inches next to a big box of fireworks being set off, the big kind like you see at the 4th not the rinky-dink ones that any good red-necked American can buy in the states. Their fireworks shows don’t start or stop at a prescribed time either - they are still going on and they don’t require darkness. I have heard at least 5 sets since 8 am this morning and it is only 11:30 am. The Chinese like their fireworks. It is traditional to set them off when there is a festival, birthday, funeral, store opening, a new floor being finished on a building or just because. There they go again……short one this time ……sounded like just firecrackers.
