As the Chinese New Year approaches, traditional folk performances and intangible cultural heritage products are seeing a surge in popularity across China, adding a vibrant cultural touch to the festive atmosphere.
In Xianning City, central China’s Hubei Province, the dragon dance performance recently made its 2026 debut in local Village. This local tradition, boasting a history of over 270 years and passed down through nine generations, sees villagers welcoming the "dragon" with firecrackers to pray for good fortune.
"Welcoming the 'dragon' into our homes and having it stay for a while is our way of praying for a bountiful harvest and for everything to go smoothly in the coming year," said Liu Jun, a local resident.
In northern China’s Shanxi Province, the tradition of making "hua mo," steamed flower buns, remains a staple of the holiday. At a steamed flower bun workshop in Wenxi County, shop owner Fan Shubo has been busy making buns that integrate horse-themed designs, and blend traditional techniques with auspicious symbols for the new year.
"With the Spring Festival just around the corner, we have prepared 'Year of the Horse' gift sets. For example, this piece features small horses forming the numbers '2026.' The colors are vibrant," said Fan.
In east China's Anhui Province, at a handicraft company in Linquan County of Fuyang City, artisans are fully focused on creating gourd pyrography, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage of Anhui. This year, horse-themed patterns have taken center stage in all their creations.
The combination of traditional craftsmanship and the zodiac theme has made these products an instant hit on the market. Her company has already received orders for 300,000 pieces, with the production schedule fully booked through late February.
"The horse carries a very positive meaning in Chinese culture. We designed these patterns to reflect that upward momentum. Our products are selling exceptionally well both online and offline. We are currently stepping up our creation and production to meet the demand of these orders," Han said.
Folk customs gain popularity across China as Spring Festival nears
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
