Shuai Shuai Fireworks is what happens when six young entrepreneurs from China’s northeast set out to reinvent one of the country’s oldest industries.
Founded in 2023 by six men born after 2000, the startup is led by Wu Mingyang, who grew up surrounded by fireworks. Wu’s father was a distributor in Heilongjiang.
“I’ve been tagging along with my dad to sell fireworks at retail terminals since I was a kid,” Wu recalled. Although he studied financial management in college, he chose to return to an industry that had always been part of his life.
Together with five childhood friends, Wu traveled from the northeast to Liuyang, Hunan, the capital of China’s fireworks industry, to launch their first venture. Each co-founder brought different skills, from computer science and accounting to civil engineering and sports. They divided responsibilities across management, product selection, design, and sales.
Their decision to base the company in Liuyang was natural. The city is recognized as the heart of China’s fireworks production. As the saying goes, “For Chinese fireworks, look to Hunan. For Hunan fireworks, look to Liuyang.”
According to official data, Liuyang is home to 431 fireworks and firecracker manufacturers. In 2024, the city’s fireworks industry recorded an output value of RMB 50.22 billion (USD 7 billion), accounting for about 60% of China’s domestic market.
As a young startup, Shuai Shuai Fireworks adopted a contract manufacturing model to lower costs and ensure production safety. Even without its own factory, the company achieved annual sales exceeding RMB 10 million (USD 1.4 million) in its first year. Wu said its sales network now spans multiple provinces, with Shandong and Liaoning emerging as top-performing markets.
While Liuyang’s fireworks sector remains vast, Wu noted that many local producers are small and compete mainly on price, leaving little room for profit. To stand out in a crowded, commoditized market, Shuai Shuai Fireworks chose to innovate through design.
The company now offers more than 100 SKUs featuring both traditional and modern designs. Its flagship line integrates landmark architecture and cultural symbols from major Chinese cities into its packaging.
Wu cited a few examples: the “Beijing” edition uses red and gold to evoke tradition and prosperity; the “Harbin” edition features icy white tones; and the “Shanghai” edition glows with blues and purples.
Such creative packaging has drawn attention from distributors and manufacturers at provincial trade fairs. “When we arrived in Liuyang in 2023, most packaging was bright red or purple with slogans,” Wu said. “We decided to introduce cartoon-style and artificial intelligence-generated designs to elevate the perceived quality. Since fireworks are emotional purchases, better packaging naturally leads to higher prices and stronger margins.”
The team also sought to solve the industry’s longstanding “blind box problem.” Buyers traditionally had to guess what fireworks would look like from the images on the box. Shuai Shuai Fireworks added QR codes to its packaging, allowing customers to scan and view a video of the actual display.
Addressing concerns over fireworks bans in some cities, Wu said the company mainly targets lower-tier and rural markets, where demand remains strong. “People in small towns and villages still prefer real fireworks,” he said. “Electronic ones just don’t feel festive enough.”
Liuyang’s fireworks are sold not only across China but also around the world. The city is the world’s largest fireworks manufacturing and export hub, home to more than 400 production companies that generate over RMB 50 billion (USD 7 billion) in annual output. It accounts for nearly 60% of China’s fireworks exports, firmly establishing its position at the center of the global pyrotechnics industry.
Wu said Shuai Shuai Fireworks has already obtained the necessary certifications for overseas sales. “Barring any surprises, international markets will definitely be part of our future plans,” he added.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Zhong Yixuan for 36Kr.