Ancient Camp Fireworks

Ancient Camp Fireworks

　　The production of Ancient Camp fireworks began in the 1930s. At that time, people used crude saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to process gunpowder for making firecrackers. The varieties included ground flowers, curved bulls, and heaven-earth cannons. By the 1960s, the production had largely taken shape, and the variety of products also increased. Ma Chaozhong, an experienced fireworks craftsman from Mazhuang Village in Guying Township, led members of the production team in running a side business producing fireworks. Later, the production techniques spread to more than 20 villages including Banjiemiao, Zhaowutang, Donglou, Malou, Wuqiaokou, and Nantangzhuang, and the number of people engaged in fireworks production gradually grew. The product range expanded to include Four-Gate Battle, Archways, Star-Showering Cannons, Rockets, and Fountains. In 1986, the “Shandong Province Cao County Huansheng Fireworks Company” was established. Fireworks production evolved from scattered manual work to specialized, legally compliant, and large-scale operations. The production process transitioned from manual labor to mechanized manufacturing, with widespread adoption of new materials, technologies, processes, formulas, and packaging. This significantly improved safety, quality consistency, and work efficiency. The fireworks produced were exquisitely crafted, innovatively designed, brightly colored, safe to ignite, and visually pleasing, earning high favor among users. After 2000, the main product categories included firecrackers, indoor and outdoor stage cold-light fireworks, colored smoke daytime fireworks, combination fireworks, aerial fireworks, cold-light waterfalls, and colored scrolling text displays, totaling nearly 1,000 varieties across 10 major types. Products were sold to provinces and cities such as Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, Liaoning, Jinan, Liaocheng, Qingdao, and Yantai, with an annual sales volume of 60,000 cases and annual revenue of 5 million yuan.