People up and down China have been getting in the mood to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, with a trail of traditional folk activities, from vibrant lion and dragon dances, to shimmering light shows and entertaining artistic performances.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of a new year on the Chinese lunar calendar, is the biggest annual holiday in China, and sees people across the country return to their hometowns to celebrate with their families and friends. This year, it falls on Jan 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
Beijing's popular Badachu Park kicked off its New Year festivities on Tuesday with a cultural fair featuring distinctive red decorations, including lanterns, traditional paper cuttings and fish-shaped lights which symbolize good luck.
Students from various countries also participated in some hands-on experiences of numerous Spring Festival customs, such as writing the Chinese character "Fu" (fortune), making window paper-cuttings and painting traditional Peking Opera masks.
Thousands of kilometers away in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the streets of Bazhai Town in Maguan County were recently buzzing with colorful activities that drew out crowds of excited locals, with dragon and lion dances, stilt walking and traditional drumming all hitting the right note and winning cheers and applause from those who gathered to see the performances.
One of the highlights of the festivities was a huge outdoor banquet which saw over 200 copper hotpots lining the long main street of the Aya Ancient City, offering a taste of local cuisine amidst a lively and joyful atmosphere.
Meanwhile, in Kaiping City of south China's Guangdong Province, a cultural district that celebrates overseas Chinese heritage welcomed visitors with grand displays of dragon and lantern lights, sculptures of ancient watchtowers and performances of opera, dancing and martial arts.
Freezing temperatures in the Xilingol League of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region couldn't deter huge crowds of both domestic and international tourists from experiencing the unique cultural vibe of the grasslands, with dragon boat races held on the ice of a frozen lake, while a hotpot festival whetted the appetites. A variety of artistic performances further enhanced the festive feeling among the many people who came out to enjoy the activities.
Colorful folk activities get people in festive mood ahead of China's Spring Festival
