Though far from home, the crew of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s hospital ship Silk Road Ark marked Chinese New Year at sea with a festive dinner of fresh, homemade dishes.
The official nine-day Chinese New Year holiday season began on Feb. 15, while the Spring Festival itself, China's most important annual celebration marked by family reunions, festive foods, and new year wishes, fell on Feb. 17 this year.
The vessel set off from Quanzhou, east China's Fujian Province, on Sept. 5, 2025, to provide medical services in the South Pacific and Latin America. By the Spring Festival, the ship had been at sea for more than 20 days.
To ensure a proper celebration, the storage team adjusted the vegetable schedule, enabling the kitchen staff to prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
"We first cook vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes because they have a shorter shelf life. Vegetables like carrots have a longer storage time, so we can prepare them later. This ensures that our comrade-in-arms have fresh vegetables for every meal at sea, providing them with adequate nutrition and allowing them to have abundant energy and strength to carry out the Harmony Mission," said Yang Jining, a member of Harmony Mission 2025.
Alongside fresh vegetables, the crew enjoyed a creative dish of "seawater tofu" made by kitchen head Ban Hangyuan, which quickly became a favorite.
"At sea, we adapted to the local conditions and used local materials. We made a special kind of tofu using seawater, which has a fresh and delicious taste and is rich in nutrients. We wanted our comrades to enjoy fresh and tasty home-cooked dishes while in the ocean," said Ban.
The dining hall was decorated with red lanterns, and the crew gathered around dishes of meat and vegetables, raising their glasses in toasts. For many young sailors, it was their first Spring Festival away from home, but the camaraderie and abundant food brought warmth.
"At a time when families are reunited, all the officers and soldiers of our 'Harmony Mission - 2025' are still stationed overseas, spreading friendship and safeguarding peace. Although we are not with our family members, seeing the abundant food on the table and our comrades by our side makes us feel extremely warm," said Hu Tao, a member of Harmony Mission 2025.
Beyond the celebration, the Silk Road Ark has visited six countries, including Nauru, Fiji, Tonga, Jamaica, Barbados, and Brazil, providing medical services to more than 22,000 patients, strengthening cooperation and contributing to international public health.
China’s navy hospital ship crew marks Spring Festival with feast at sea
China's "film-plus" strategy, which merges cinema with sectors such as retail, dining, and tourism, has been a key driver of consumption during this year's nine-day Spring Festival holiday, which runs through next Monday.
Popular tourist cities, from central China's Changde and Yichang to Qingdao on the country's eastern coast, have been taking full advantage of one of the most lucrative box office windows in the country's film market to boost related, diversified consumer spending.
Across these cities, local shopping malls have been hosting film-themed Spring Festival fairs; film shooting locations for iconic movies have been hosting folk cultural performances and other activities for holidaymakers.
Moviegoers can use their ticket stubs for discounts at the local stores and restaurants, as well as access to scenic areas and other locations featured in popular Chinese films. Shopping mall customers can also get special deals for movie tickets using their shopping receipts.
"At this film-themed fair, our products have been very popular with the visitors. Our sales have been great these two days," Zhong Ling, an inheritor of the traditional incense-making craft, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, told China Central Television (CCTV) at her stall at the film-themed fair held in a Wanda Plaza shopping mall in Changde, central China's Hunan Province.
"During the Spring Festival holiday, we've been receiving close to 7,000 cinema visits on average per day, which have driven our shopping mall's average daily sales to nearly 4 million yuan (about 580,000 U.S. dollars), a 5-percent increase from the same period last year," said Li Jun, marketing manager at the Wanda Plaza.
In Qingdao of east China's Shandong Province, which is one of the first 16 Chinese cities to implement the "film-plus" consumption initiative, more than 700 businesses including hotels, restaurants and museums, are now members of a so-called "ticket stub economy" alliance that integrates cinema with tourism, retail, dining, and accommodation, helping transform movie-going into a booming multi-dimensional, experiential industry.
Yichang, a premier tourist hub in central China's Hubei Province, is another city selected to pilot the "film-plus" model due to its stunning landscapes, historic sites, and rich ethnic culture. Many locations in the city, such as the Qingjiang Painting Gallery Scenic Area, have been featured in Chinese films over the years.
Since the beginning of the year, the Scenic Area, known for its scenic karst landscapes, emerald waters and distinctive culture of the Tujia ethnic minority group, has been rolling out special boat tours and other activities to attract moviegoers.
"The number of tourists has increased 15 percent over the past two months compared with the same period last year. Movies have indeed made our area even more popular and boosted consumption as well," said Xiu Yunfu, executive general manager of the Hubei Qingjiang Painting Gallery Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
Innovative film-going experiences in Chinese cities boost Spring Festival consumption
