For over 30 years, Wang De has been mastering the ancient art of Da Shuhua – a 500-year-old tradition of throwing molten iron at a wall to create a spectacular show of sparks. This art first came to life with blacksmiths in the Nunquan village of China. Only the rich could afford fireworks and firecrackers, so one day the blacksmiths noticed how beautiful the sparks were when molten iron hit the ground, so they tried throwing it against a wall and that’s how Da Shuhua became a tradition. Due to molten iron’s very high temperature (2,900ºF), it is very important that the throwers wear fire retardant cloths – like cotten and sheepskins.
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