raddlesnakes asked: Did you get sick of the fireworks? I don't know whether they were used as liberally as they were in Nanjing, but our friends said that sometimes a family would all go get new clothes or something simple like that and to celebrate they would set off fireworks. It didn't help that we lived on the river and the wall.
We were in China for Chinese New Year so yes, heaps of fireworks. I was disappointed that we decided to be in Hong Kong for the start of CNY, it was very commercial and I think they’re much stricter about fireworks there. I don’t remember seeing any except during the official display. I heard from travellers while I was there that the atmosphere and warmth of smaller towns make for a far better CNY experience. There were lots of fireworks in the cities we stayed in up until Beijing, but Beijing went off. It was exciting but also terrifying to be walking the streets, you never knew when you were going to be hit by firework shrapnel. I love fireworks so I never got sick of it.
The fireworks at the Ice Festival were special, though. In hindsight it seems silly but all of those statues made the addition of fireworks seem mind-blowing. I was so frustrated by the icy snow on the ground preventing me from running to get a better view. (I held on to my brother’s arm the whole night to keep from falling over. He was less than impressed.) I don’t remember seeing any other fireworks in Harbin; possibly it was too cold for setting off fireworks to be much fun.
