Bright red decorations and festive cheer have filled the streets in cities across China as the country prepares for the upcoming Spring Festival celebrations.
The Spring Festival is the most important annual holiday in China, centering around the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 29 and ushers in the Year of the Snake.
Starting Sunday, Chinese New Year-themed decorations have been lit up along Beijing's famous Chang'an Avenue, featuring traditional patterns like large red lanterns and Chinese knots.
In Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province, a lantern show showcasing local elements is lighting up hopes and dreams for the New Year.
Another lantern show on Xi'an's ancient city wall in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has entered the final stage of preparation. At this year's event, large light sets will replicate 38 cultural relics.
In Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, thousands of lanterns have been hung on street-side trees, adding a vibrant touch to the city's festive atmosphere.
"The first thing that catches my attention is the red lantern. It's almost as if we are already celebrating the Spring Festival," said Ms. Lu, a tourist from Shaanxi Province.
Meanwhile, flower fairs in Nanning City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are packed with customers. Buying New Year flowers or plants, which have auspicious meanings, has become a custom for locals.
"I buy New Year flowers every year. Placing them at home gives me a festive feeling," said Ms. Hou, a local resident.
Festive spirit builds across China as Spring Festival draws near
Members of the ice hockey team from China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) visited Harbin's renowned Ice and Snow World ahead of the 2025 Asian Winter Games to experience the thrill of the northern winter wonderland and prepare for their historic debut at the Games.
Scheduled to run from Friday to Feb 14 this year, the 9th Asian Winter Games will be held in Harbin for the second time, which hosted the event in 1996.
Before the Games officially starts, three ice hockey players from Team Macao ventured into the winter paradise, a stark contrast to their hometown's subtropical climate.
The highlight of their visit was a ride on the 521-meter-long ice slide, a signature attraction at Harbin Ice and Snow World.
"Before I went on the slide, I thought it can't be better than ice hockey. But when I went on the slide, the speed kind of shocked me," said Hu Zhaoting Tse, a player from Team Macao.
Team Macao, composed of office workers, teenagers, and even firefighters, trains weekly across the Greater Bay Area. The completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has significantly enhanced their training, giving them access to facilities that they don’t have at home.
Lei Pak In, another hockey player, praised the high-tech facilities at the Games' venues.
"I feel like the facilities at the Winter Games were really nice. Really high tech. The ice was really smooth. Like for us in Macao, we haven't had a real working rink in almost three years," he said.
The team also explored Harbin's immersive virtual reality (VR) activities, which offered unique haptic feedback, a novelty compared to traditional VR setups.
"I feel like the haptics were really unique for this one, because usually in VR, it's all just eyes, but here there are even heaters," said Lei.
Reflecting on a recent match against Hong Kong, a strong regional rival, the players said that over the past decade teams from Hong Kong and Macao were evenly matched, but now both are motivated to outperform each other in the coming years.
As they set their sights on winning at the upcoming Asian Winter Games, the young players are also eager to learn from their Asian counterparts. Despite the challenges of limited local infrastructure, their passion for ice hockey remains undeterred, and they are determined to continue chasing their dreams.
Members of Macao ice hockey team visit Harbin's Ice and Snow World