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SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
TITLE: YEAR OF THE DRAGON
LOCATION: LONGJIANGLI (龙江里), TIANJIN
MISSION: WELCOME THE NEW YEAR
DATE: 2012-01-22
Today was the big day: New Year's Eve! Being in the land that invented fireworks, securing a bountiful supply of firecrackers was on the top of today's agenda. We thought it would be as easy as walking out the door, but it turned out that the vast majority of people selling fireworks like to celebrate the new year at home like everyone else. We eventually found a shop just as they were about to wrap up and go home. It was rater late in the afternoon already an they were thus more than willing to sell and almost threw fireworks at us. We decided to skip the fireworks and got 200元 of heavily discounted firecrackers instead. We had been hearing large explosions all over town, which I was told were caused by heavy firecrackers. I naturally had to get my hand on some of those (said to be illegal even in China). I got 10 at a 33% discount (the big red "cans" in picture #4), and damn, they did not disappoint. We went out at midnight and when fired in Xu Jia's (许嘉) grandparent's cramped neighborhood the echoes made it sound like real artillery was dropping over our heads (picture #8). Awesome. Xu Jia's dad's department had already provided its employees with big red wheels of woodpecker-crackers (picture #2), so we didn't buy any. It must have been at least 5000 crackers in the roll (at least), because it lasted for several minutes. The sound of a whole block going nuts with fireworks at the same time combined with the activated car alarms of every single car in the area made for quite the spectacle. Unfortunately you have to experience it for yourself to fully understand how this would never ever ever be allowed in Sweden.