In China firework is played to express joy and happiness during the Spring Festival and on other auspicious occasions. Fireworks playing is regarded as one of China's most important customs.
   
    The history of firework can be dated back to over 2,000 years ago. The earliest firework was called Ting Liao made up of something like bamboo sticks and would make stuttering sound when burned.
   
    Firework was first played to dispel ghosts and evil spirits and hanker for auspiciousness and happiness. It is said that a four-horned monster called Shan Sao and some other ghosts hiding in mountains came out to harm human beings and their livestock every 365 days. However, they were afraid of sound and light. People therefore played fireworks in order to drive away Shan Sao and evil spirits at the end of one year and the beginning of a year.
   
    After gunpowder was invented in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), people began to make fireworks by cramming gunpowder into bamboo tubes to produce greater sound. In the Song Dynasty (960 - 1271), bamboo tubes was replaced with paper coverings. Later, a new kind of firecracker was invented which was made by linking many smaller firecrackers together with powder train. This new firecracker called Bao Zhu could sound continuously.
   
    Well-made firecrackers are usually packed with red paper. When exploded, scraps of red paper will be scattered all over the floor, which forebodes auspiciousness. During the Spring Festival you can see people playing firecrackers in various kinds and with different colors. As Chinese become more aware of environment protection, playing fireworks has already been prohibited in many cities. Still, people celebrate their holidays in many other ways.

在中国，凡逢春节和其他的喜庆日子，人们总要燃放爆竹来表示庆贺。燃放爆竹可以说是中国民间一个十分重要的风俗习惯。
   
    爆竹也叫"炮竹"、"爆仗"、"炮仗"，平常人们更习惯叫"鞭炮"，有大约2000多年的历史了。最早的爆竹叫"庭燎"。是用竹竿一类的东西做成火炬，燃烧时发出噼噼啪啪的爆裂声，也叫"爆竿。
   
    燃放爆竹风俗最早起因于驱鬼除邪，祈求一年的吉祥顺利。传说，有个叫做"山臊"的四角怪兽和恶鬼平常藏在深山，每隔365天便出来伤害人畜。这些无恶不做的坏东西害怕爆炸的声音和亮光。于是，每到岁末年首，人们就争着燃放鞭炮，用来驱赶"山臊"和恶鬼。
   
    中国的唐代发明火药以后，人们便把火药放进竹筒，点燃后发出巨大的声音，这种爆竹叫做"爆竹筒"。到了宋代，爆竹的制作方法改为把火药装进用纸卷成的筒里，名字也叫爆竹了。后来人们开始把许多小的炮仗用药线连接起来，成为"一发连百余响不绝"的鞭炮。讲究的鞭炮用红颜色的纸制作，鞭炮爆炸后，红屑满地，人称"满地红"，表示吉利。随着发展，鞭炮的品种和色彩也由原来的单调发展得丰富多彩，有小鞭炮、电光雷、母子雷、射天炮、百头、千头鞭，甚至还有几万头长的鞭炮。
   
    现在，随着人们环保意识的加强，燃放鞭炮的习俗在中国很多大城市中受到禁止。但是，聪明的中国人依然想出了其他热闹的庆祝节日的办法。