http://blog.chineseoutpost.com/2006/01/29/dreams-blown-sky-high/ An American who taught in China in 1993-94 returns for a visit in 2006 with his native Chinese wife and their two pre-schoolers. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:14:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://blog.chineseoutpost.com/2006/01/29/dreams-blown-sky-high/comment-page-1/#comment-2988 Pat Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:59:35 +0000 http://blog.chineseoutpost.com/2006/01/29/dreams-blown-sky-high/#comment-2988 Are you sure that it is helium? In Xi'an in 2000 there were plenty of balloon vendors on the streets during ChunJie. However, the tanks were filled with hydrogen, not helium. Everyone had a great time attaching firecrackers to the strings for the balloons, letting them go, and watching the resulting explosions once the crackers came into contact with the hydrogen gas in the balloons. For some reason the vendors got nervous whenever a smoker came near their tanks.... Are you sure that it is helium? In Xi’an in 2000 there were plenty of balloon vendors on the streets during ChunJie. However, the tanks were filled with hydrogen, not helium. Everyone had a great time attaching firecrackers to the strings for the balloons, letting them go, and watching the resulting explosions once the crackers came into contact with the hydrogen gas in the balloons. For some reason the vendors got nervous whenever a smoker came near their tanks….

]]> http://blog.chineseoutpost.com/2006/01/29/dreams-blown-sky-high/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Postcards from China » Another Senseless Death in Anhai Mon, 27 Mar 2006 02:10:58 +0000 http://blog.chineseoutpost.com/2006/01/29/dreams-blown-sky-high/#comment-14 [...] I wrote a post back in January about a tragic death in Anhai that could have been avoided (with better safety practices and “common sense”) when a couple was trying to rig up their own home-grown helium balloon-filling machine. (And I’ve learned that there is a thriving market for them here: when school lets out each day, several helium balloon vendors, toy vendors, snack vendors, and so on are waiting to catch the kids’ attention with hopes that the adult picking them up will give in to the youngsters requests, squeals, whines, tantrums, or whatever.) [...] [...] I wrote a post back in January about a tragic death in Anhai that could have been avoided (with better safety practices and “common sense”) when a couple was trying to rig up their own home-grown helium balloon-filling machine. (And I’ve learned that there is a thriving market for them here: when school lets out each day, several helium balloon vendors, toy vendors, snack vendors, and so on are waiting to catch the kids’ attention with hopes that the adult picking them up will give in to the youngsters requests, squeals, whines, tantrums, or whatever.) [...]

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