Firecracker Label Item Number: 822/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Firecracker paper composed of painted paper cut in the form of a flower with tangled green foliage and two shapes with three lobes at one end and a body that flares outwards and then angles back inwards to a point. One of the shapes is convex.

History Of Use

Invented in China around the 12th century or earlier, firecrackers have been widely used in China to serve a variety of religious and secular purposes. In both the past and present, firecrackers are used to ward off evil spirits, to honour spirits and deities, and to mark special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, shop openings, or festivals. Firecrackers are by far in greatest demand during the annual Lunar New Year, when they are ignited to purify a space and to blast away negative energies and demons. Firecrackers are also used in “fengshui” geomantic practices, as ritual objects to be hung in the home to stimulate new beginnings, prosperity, and the protection of the household. A large number of firecracker labels were produced from approximately 1850-1910, in the Guangdong region of southern China, to decorate the wooden crates that they were shipped in. Since many of these were produced in Foshan (Fatshan), a city noted for its manufacture of handmade ritual goods, collectors often refer to them as “Fat Shan” labels. They range in size from smaller four-inch squares to larger circular labels with a twenty-four inch diameter. The labels are colourfully painted with auspicious themes, including depictions of deities, legends and myths, historical narratives, and scenes of everyday life. The images enhance the fireworks’ role in dispelling evil while attracting virtue and prosperity. These labels were widely sold in south-central and south-west China, and south-east Asia. Local manufacturers and merchants would order bulk firecrackers, pack them into wooden crates, and decorate the crates with these labels to entice potential distributors and consumers. Aside from their use as firecracker labels, many people in south China used the labels to decorate their rooms and utensils. Few labels survived to today because of their fragility and the small value placed on them at the time. After 1910, these painstaking production techniques were gradually replaced by lithography machines, which allowed artisans to print full colour labels on rice paper.

Iconographic Meaning

This firecracker label depicts a set of musical clappers, one of the eight symbols associated with each of the Eight Immortals. The clappers are associated with the immortal Cao Guojiu, a patron deity of actors. A pink fly whisk hangs off to the right side of the clappers, a sign of the deity’s immortality and ability to sweep away all mental and worldly afflictions. Both objects are entwined with green vines and what appears to be a pink lotus blossom at the top. The Chinese character for lotus blossom (he hua or lian hua) is a pun for “harmony” (he) and “successive” or “continuous” (lian), as in the popular blessing, “May you have successive illustrious sons.” It is likely that this particular label belonged to a set of eight, with each depicting one of the eight symbols of the Eight Immortals. There are five of these labels in MOA’s collection.

Item History

What

Name
Firecracker Label
Identification Number
822/1
Type of Item
label
Overall
height 11.7 cm, width 8.0 cm, depth 4.0 cm

Who

Culture
Chinese
Previous Owner
T & N Company
Received from
Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source) and T & N Company (Seller)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
China

When

Ownership Date
before October 19, 1982
Acquisition Date
on October 19, 1982

Other

Item Classes
works on paper
Condition
good
Accession Number
0822/0001