Playing with Molten Iron

Four hours west of Beijing, the Chinese New Year meets a grand finale like no other with the Molten Iron Throwing tradition. The ancient event began out of resourcefulness in NuanQuan, China, hundreds of years ago. Though fireworks were more commonly used to ward off evil spirits, they were expensive and the remote town of NuanQuan consisted primarily of farmers and working-class citizens.

Despite being unable to afford fireworks, the people were rich in metal, blacksmiths and bravery, creating their own traditional fire show, DaShuHua.

Farmers prepare the metal for hours the day of the event, melting and heating it at around 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the iron is ready, throwers scoop up the metal with wooden ladles, which have been soaking in water for three days, and whip the molten iron at a giant wall.

The iron throwers are often only protected with a pair of goggles, a hat and a warm winter coat when the molten metal hits the freezing wall creating a bursting, showering spray of sparks and liquid fire, or “fire flower,” in front of the crowd. DaShuHua became more popular than fireworks in the rural region and is still celebrated in the same tradition today.

Since the farming town is such a remote location, the crowd typically consists of only locals so tourists should come prepared for few English speakers. Also there are very few regulations and barriers for the event, so foreigners should be aware and stand back.

For those who want to see the festival in person, the date changes every year, and located in a more private area, the lodging will mainly consist of homestays. The event has little Internet presence, making planning a little more difficult, but with so much history and spectacle it may be worth the effort.