Da Shuhua is a 500 year old tradition practiced in Nuanquan town on the border between Shanxi and Hebei provinces during the Lantern Festival. Villagers perform the festival of lights, “Da Shuhua” for three days to celebrate the harvest and pray for good weather for the following year. They throw molten iron onto the cold brick of the city gate which creates sparks that burst into the sky. The artists, who are now the 13th generation of practitioners of the festival, dress in sheep fur and straw hats and use handmade wooden ladles to splash the hot metal onto the wall. This unique folk festival happens only once a year and only in Nuanquan town, Hebei province.

Photo and text: D J Clark