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Preparations around China warm up Spring Festival
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CNTV, January 11, 2012
It's still about two weeks ahead of Spring Festival when people all over China will celebrate the year of the Dragon, but the festive atmosphere is already heating up. So, let's travel around the country to see what preparations are underway.
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Temple Fairs are one of the local highlights in Beijing at this time of year. |
Temple Fairs are one of the local highlights in Beijing at this time of year. Staff members of Shijingshan Amusement Park are busy rehearsing for the upcoming Temple Fair. Of course the theme is all about dragons, this year's lunar year mascot. Those who were born in the year of dragon get a chance to enter the park for free.
Although the fair won't be open until the first day of lunar new year, tourists are welcomed to enjoy the park's Ice and Snow Carnival in advance, where they can see some of the same kind of entertainments as in Northeastern China.
In Qingdao of Shandong Province, the joyful color of red has swept the city. Shopping malls are filled with dragon toys and cheerful couplets. As a traditional symbol, the dragon represents auspicious powers and brings positive blessings for the whole family, so the dragon-themed products are selling well.
Mr Wang, customer, said, "Every year we purchase these things to decorate our home, and this year there are even more designs to choose from. "
Spring Festival family reunion dinners top the list of "must-do" activities for Chinese people. This is especially true in Chongqing, where people love to enjoy a meal around the region's famous spicy hotpot. In fact, pre-booking at restaurants for lunar New Year's Eve were made weeks ago.
A restaurant staff said, "The private rooms were booked out long before now. Now, so are the tables in the lobby. Anyone else who wants a seat on that night will have to wait until others leave."
The average price for a dinner package has peaked in recent years, but it hasn't reduced demand for a well-prepared reunion dinner. Some well-known restaurants choose to extend business hours on that night for customers, even if it means that staff members have to sacrifice their own family gatherings.
In north China, the weather tends to keep people indoors during Spring Festival. But in Fuzhou city of Fujian Province, it's a completely different scene. The province's warm and humid winter brings blooming flowers for locals to enjoy. Some retailers say that the flowers can be kept blooming for up to three months if well tended. And that's one way these happy people extend the upbeat atmosphere of Chinese new year.
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