Early memories rekindled along the riverbank on a wet and chilly night

I remember first watching fireworks when I was still a primary school student, but since then have often asked myself whether it is childish for adults to set light to these combustible devices.

On a rainy and extremely cold night recently, a friend and I took some fireworks to a bank of the Xiangjiang River in Changsha, Hunan province. The main reason for our mission was for me to write this reporter's log.

Like many cities in China, the authorities in Changsha ban fireworks in urban areas, so to avoid attracting attention, we needed to find a place without many people.