New York City's Chinatown holds Spring Festival celebrations

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New York City's Chinatown in the United States recently witnessed lively celebrations of the Spring Festival, China's most important traditional festival.

Many young people abroad are now saying they're in a "very Chinese time" in their life, drinking hot water, making their own congee and practicing mindfulness with Baduanjin. 

The Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New Year, fell on Tuesday this year, when the streets of New York City's Chinatown echoed with the rhythmic beats of drums, brimming with a festive atmosphere for the festival.

Locals from various professions and backgrounds, including businessmen, salespeople and nurses, said about why they were marking the Spring Festival.

"The Year of the Horse, that's cool, like you said, horses are strong and fast and beautiful and elegant and graceful, so I think that's a fantastic time to be here," said Connor Bolton, a businessman.

 "I'm excited about the Year of the Horse for the strength and empowerment," said Angelica Vargas, a saleswoman.

"I say mostly the food and the sense of community, you see everyone from every generation all the time, all coming together," said David Molton, a carpenter.

"I'm all about it. I want to see all of the culture, all of the things. We're just lucky enough to be here on Chinese New Year. So we're just happy to see it," said Lucy Adams, a receptionist.

"It's just great to see like everybody out in the open and just celebrating, like you said it was after a day of work you get like a full day of rest and leaving everything in the old year behind and bringing something new. So it's really cool to see everybody out and about," said Peter Morris, a researcher. 

"Everyone coming together, having fun, different generations, cross cultures, just everyone having a great time," said Nolan Engels, a bus driver.

"I see celebrating the elderly, respecting your elders is a super important thing. That's prevalent in Asian cultures that I think is good to incorporate in others," said Ann Lee, a consultant.

People were having fun and seeing the lions dancing, the explosion of colors, and something they incorporate into their life is about the food.

Quite a number of Chinese dishes have become part of many Americans' daily life. 

"My coworkers are Chinese, and they said today is the fire horse new year. And so it means that we're going to run into something intense and you have to embrace it. And I think that's beautiful," said Lala Penaranda, an environmentalist.

"The dumplings are nice because you can have everybody sit together and you can share the food," said Lousie Engels, a nurse.

The 2026 Chinese New Year marked the start of the Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.

New York City's Chinatown holds Spring Festival celebrations

Foreign tourists are flocking to southwest China's Yunnan Province and Shanghai during the Spring Festival holiday, drawn by the chance to immerse themselves in the traditions and cultural richness of the Chinese New Year.

The nine-day holiday began on Sunday, while the Spring Festival itself, China’s most important annual celebration marked by family reunions, festive foods, and New Year wishes, fell on Tuesday this year.

Starting from Wednesday, Hekou Port in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, witnessed a surge in both inbound and outbound tourism. Each morning during the holiday, crowds streamed across the Nanxi River Bridge at the Hekou land port, entry-exit documents in hand, ready to embark on vibrant journeys through China.

Inside the joint inspection hall, officers from the Hekou border inspection station directed visitors to designated lanes, ensuring smooth clearance in less than five minutes.

"Our whole family loves China. We enjoy the food and scenery here. If I get the chance, I'd like to visit northern China too," said a Vietnamese tourist.

"I come to China to celebrate the Chinese New Year with my family. The atmosphere here is so lively. I really like the firecrackers. It's very fun and everybody is very happy. I can't wait to eat the food tonight because Chinese food is very good," said a French tourist.

During the first four days of the Spring Festival holiday, from February 15 to 18, the Hekou Port handled 21,500 border crossings.

"During the Spring Festival holiday, Hekou Port is experiencing a peak in inbound passenger traffic. It is projected that over 100,000 people will cross the border at Hekou Port throughout the entire holiday period," said Hou Qian, a police officer of the Hekou entry-exit border inspection station.

In Shanghai, commercial districts and landmarks are staging special folk activities throughout the holiday. For many foreigners spending their first Spring Festival in China, these events offer a vivid introduction to traditional culture, experienced against the backdrop of a city where age-old customs meet modern urban life.

"It's so colorful and it's so pretty. I think it's going to be so exciting and so glamorous. So Chinese Spring Festival is actually glamorous and very festive and so many people celebrate. And I'm very excited to see what' s happening here that's why I came here. There's a lot of history here and there's a lot to explore," said a Sri Lankan tourist.

"I think it's beautiful how a lot of shows are made to give fortune to each other and like spread hope for the future and for this year," said an Italian tourist.

Foreign tourists flock to Yunnan, Shanghai during Chinese New Year