CHINA: Guangdong A Diner's Paradise, Richest And Most Populous Province But Infested With Petty Crime, Pickpockets And Homelessness, Prostitution Is Illegal But Common.

Guangdong is a province in Southeast China on the border with Hong Kong. Guangdong is a province in South China, located on the South China Sea coast.

Traditionally romanised as Kwangtung, Guangdong surpassed Henan and Sichuan to become the most populous province in China in January 2005.

It registered 79.1 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants who lived in the province for at least six months of the year.

The total population was 104,303,132 in the 2010 census, accounting for 7.79 percent of Mainland China's population.

This also makes it the most populous first-level administrative subdivision of any country outside the former British Raj, as its population is surpassed only by those of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the Indian states of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The provincial capital Guangzhou and economic hub Shenzhen are among the most populous and important cities in China. The population increase since the census has been modest, the province at 2015 had 108,500,000 people.

Since 1989, Guangdong has topped the total GDP rankings among all provincial-level divisions, with Jiangsu and Shandong second and third in rank.

According to state statistics, Guangdong's GDP in 2017 reached 1.42 trillion US dollars (CNY 8.99 trillion), making its economy roughly the same size as Mexico.

Since 1989, Guangdong has had the highest GDP among all provinces of Mainland China. The province contributes approximately 12% of the PRC's national economic output.

It is home to the production facilities and offices of a wide-ranging set of Chinese and foreign corporations.

Guangdong also hosts the largest import and export fair in China, the Canton Fair, hosted in the provincial capital of Guangzhou.

In the era of tea clippers, both Guangdong and its capital Guangzhou were often referred to on maps and in spoken English as Canton.

This usage continues today but to a much lesser extent with the transliterated Chinese name being used instead.

Other versions no longer used include Kwangtung. The food and language of the area are still known as Cantonese. Much of what is associated with overseas Chinese food and culture has its origins here.

Guangdong borders the South China Sea and surrounds Hong Kong and Macau. Long a provincial backwater, the province's economic fortunes changed dramatically when Deng Xiaoping initiated economic reforms in 1978.

Home to three of the country's Special Economic Zones and to a burgeoning manufacturing industry, Guangdong is now the richest province in China.

It is also the most populous Chinese provinces, with approximately 110 million people, more than all but ten countries.

The major cities in Guangdong have been magnets for migrant workers from poor inland provinces since the 1980s. In many cities this has led to problems with petty crime and homelessness.

It also means that Mandarin is increasingly widely spoken and many taxi drivers or service staff are more conversant in Mandarin than the local versions of Cantonese.

Many overseas Chinese, particularly those which emigrated before 1949, trace their roots to Guangdong, although many are from other coastal provinces such as Fujian or the area around Shanghai.

The Chinese food most familiar to Westerners is basically Cantonese cooking, albeit sometimes adapted for the customers' tastes.

Guangdong has a subtropical climate. Annual rainfall averages 1500-2000 millimeters and temperature averages 19C - 26C. Summers are very hot, humid and wet and there may be typhoons.

By May the temperature gauge is easily in the 30's with the humidity and air pollution making feel even hotter. The best time to visit Guangdong is in the Spring or Autumn.

Originally inhabited by a mixture of tribal groups known to the Chinese as the Baiyue, the region first became part of China during the Qin dynasty.

Chinese administration and reliable historical records in the region began with the Qin dynasty. After establishing the first unified Chinese empire, the Qin expanded southwards and set up Nanhai Commandery at Panyu, near what is now part of Guangzhou.

The region was independent as Nanyue between the fall of Qin and the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

The Han dynasty administered Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam as Jiaozhi Province, southernmost Jiaozhi Province was used as a gateway for traders from the west—as far away as the Roman Empire.

Under the Wu Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms period, Guangdong was made its own province, the Guang Province, in 226.

As time passed, the demographics of what is now Guangdong gradually shifted to Han Chinese dominance as the populations intermingled due to commerce along the great canals.

Abruptly shifted through massive migration from the north during periods of political turmoil and nomadic incursions from the fall of the Han dynasty onwards.

For example, internal strife in northern China following the rebellion of An Lushan resulted in a 75% increase in the population of Guangzhou prefecture between 740s–750s and 800s–810s.

As more migrants arrived, the local population was gradually assimilated to Han Chinese culture or displaced.

Together with Guangxi, Guangdong was made part of Lingnan Circuit, or Mountain-South Circuit, in 627 during the Tang dynasty.

The Guangdong part of Lingnan Circuit was renamed Guangnan East Circuit guang nan dong lu in 971 during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Guangnan East is the source of Guangdong.

As Mongols from the north engaged in their conquest of China in the 13th century, the Southern Song court fled southwards from its capital in Hangzhou.

The defeat of the Southern Song court by Mongol naval forces in The Battle of Yamen 1279 in Guangdong marked the end of the Southern Song dynasty (960–1279).

During the Mongol Yuan dynasty, large parts of current Guangdong belonged to Jiangxi. Its present name, Guangdong Province was given in early Ming dynasty.

Since the 16th century, Guangdong has had extensive trade links with the rest of the world. European merchants coming northwards via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea, particularly the Portuguese and British, traded extensively through Guangzhou.

Macau, on the southern coast of Guangdong, was the first European settlement in 1557.

In the 19th century, the opium traded through Guangzhou triggered the First Opium War, opening an era of Western imperialists' incursion and intervention in China.

In addition to Macau, which was then a Portuguese colony, Hong Kong was ceded to the British, and Kwang-Chou-Wan the modern day area of Zhanjiang to the French.

Due to the large number of people that emigrated out of the Guangdong province, many overseas Chinese communities have their origins in Guangdong.

The Cantonese language, therefore, has proportionately more speakers among overseas Chinese people than mainland Chinese. Consequently, many Mandarin Chinese words originally of foreign origin come from the original foreign language by way of Cantonese.

In the United States, there is a large number of Chinese who are descendants of immigrants from the city of Taishan or Toisan in Cantonese, who speak a distinctive dialect related to Cantonese called Taishanese or Toishanese.

During the 1850s, the Taiping Rebellion, whose leader Hong Xiuquan was born in Guangdong and received a pamphlet from a Protestant Christian missionary in Guangdong, became a widespread civil war in southern China.

Because of direct contact with the West, Guangdong was the center of anti-Manchu and anti-imperialist activity. The generally acknowledged founder of modern China, Sun Yat-sen, was also from Guangdong.

During the early 1920s of the Republic of China, Guangdong was the staging area for Kuomintang (KMT) to prepare for the Northern Expedition, an effort to bring the various warlords of China back under the central government.

Whampoa Military Academy was built near Guangzhou to train military commanders.

In recent years, the province has seen extremely rapid economic growth, aided in part by its close trading links with Hong Kong, which borders it. It is now the province with the highest gross domestic product in China.

In 1952, a small section of Guangdong's coastline was given to Guangxi, giving it access to the sea. This was reversed in 1955, and then restored in 1965.

Hainan Island was originally part of Guangdong, but it was separated as its own province in 1988.

Guangdong faces the South China Sea to the south and has a total of 4,300 km (2,700 mi) of coastline. Leizhou Peninsula is on the southwestern end of the province.

There are a few inactive volcanoes on Leizhou Peninsula. The Pearl River Delta is the convergent point of three upstream rivers: the East River, North River, and West River.

The river delta is filled with hundreds of small islands. The province is geographically separated from the north by a few mountain ranges collectively called the Nan Mountains (Nan Ling).

The highest peak in the province is Shikengkong with an elevation of 6,240 feet (1,902 meters) above sea level.

Guangdong borders Fujian to the northeast, Jiangxi and Hunan to the north, Guangxi autonomous region to the west, and Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions to the south.

Hainan is offshore across from the Leizhou Peninsula. The Pratas Islands, which were traditionally governed as part of Guangdong, are now administered by the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Cities around the Pearl River Delta include Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Shunde, Taishan, Zhongshan and Zhuhai.

Other cities in the province include Chaozhou, Chenghai, Nanhai, Shantou, Shaoguan, Zhanjiang, Zhaoqing, Yangjiang and Yunfu.

Guangdong has a humid subtropical climate, though nearing a tropical climate in the far south. Winters are short, mild, and relatively dry, while summers are long, hot, and very wet.

Average daily highs in Guangzhou in January and July are 18 °C (64 °F) and 33 °C (91 °F), respectively, although the humidity makes it feel much hotter in summer. Frost is rare on the coast but may happen a few days each winter well inland.

The economy of Guangdong is large enough to be compared to that of many countries. in 2014, the gross domestic product (GDP) is about $1104.05 billion, Guangdong has been the largest province by GDP since 1989 in Mainland China.

Guangdong is responsible for 10.66 percent of the China' $10.36 trillion GDP. In 2015, Guangdong's GDP is slightly larger than that of Mexico ranking 15th in terms of US dollar or Purchasing Power Parity.

Comparable to that of country subdivisions in dollar terms, Guangdong's GDP is larger than that of all but 6 country subdivisions: England, California, Texas, New York and Tokyo. It is comparable to the GDP of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

This is a trend of official estimates of the gross domestic product of the Province of Guangdong with figures in millions of Chinese Yuan.

After the communist revolution and until the start of the Deng Xiaoping reforms in 1978, Guangdong was an economic backwater, although a large underground, service-based economy has always existed.

Economic development policies encouraged industrial development in the interior provinces which were weakly joined to Guangdong via transportation links.

The government policy of economic autarky made Guangdong's access to the ocean irrelevant.

Deng Xiaoping's open door policy radically changed the economy of the province as it was able to take advantage of its access to the ocean, proximity to Hong Kong, and historical links to overseas Chinese.

Until the 1990s when the Chinese taxation system was reformed, the province benefited from the relatively low rate of taxation placed on it by the central government due to its post-Liberation status of being economically backward.

Guangdong's economic boom began with the early 1990s and has since spread to neighboring provinces, and also pulled their populations inward.

The economic growth of Guangdong province owes much to the low-value-added manufacturing which characterized and in many ways still defines the province's economy following Deng Xiaoping's reforms.

Guangdong is not only China's largest exporter of goods, it is the country's largest importer as well.

The province is now one of the richest in the nation, with the most billionaires in mainland China, the highest GDP among all the provinces, although wage growth has only recently begun to rise due to a large influx of migrant workers from neighboring provinces.

In 2011, Guangdong's aggregate nominal GDP reached 5.30 trillion RMB (US$838.60 billion) with a per capita GDP of 47,689 RMB.

By 2015, the local government of Guangdong hopes that the service industry will account for more than 50 percent of the provinces GDP and high-tech manufacturing another 20 percent.

In 2009, Guangdong's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 201 billion yuan, 1.93 trillion yuan, and 1.78 trillion yuan, respectively.

Its per capita GDP reached 40,748 yuan (about US$5,965). Guangdong contributes approximately 12% of the total national economic output.

It has three of the six Special Economic Zones: Shenzhen, Shantou and Zhuhai. The affluence of Guangdong, however, remains very concentrated near the Pearl River Delta.

In 2008 its foreign trade also grew 7.8% from the previous year and is also by far the largest of all of China.

By numbers, Guangdong's foreign trade accounts for more than a quarter of China's US$2.56 trillion foreign trade or roughly US$683 billion.

Guangdong officially became the most populous province in January 2005. Official statistics had traditionally placed Guangdong as the 4th-most populous province of China with about 80 million people.

Sichuan, traditionally the most populous province, was divided into Sichuan and Chongqing in 1997.

Recent information suggests that there are an additional 30 million migrants who reside in Guangdong for at least six months every year.

This making it the most populous province with a population of more than 110 million.

The massive influx of migrants from other provinces, dubbed the floating population, is due to Guangdong's booming economy and high demand for labor.

If Guangdong were an independent nation, it would rank among the twenty largest countries of the world by population, more populous than France, Germany, or the United Kingdom, and more populous than the largest three US states - California, Texas, and Florida combined.

Guangdong is also the ancestral home of large numbers of overseas Chinese. Most of the railroad laborers in Canada, Western United States and Panama in the 19th century came from Guangdong.

Many people from the region also travelled to the US / California during the gold rush of 1849, and also to Australia during its gold rush a decade or so later.

The majority of the province's population is Han Chinese. Within the Han Chinese, the largest subgroup in Guangdong are the Cantonese people.

Two other major groups are the Teochew people in Chaoshan and the Hakka people in Huizhou, Meizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan and Zhanjiang.

There is a small Yao population in the north. Other smaller minority groups include She, Miao, Li, and Zhuang.

Guangdong has a highly unbalanced gender ratio that is among the highest of all provinces in China. According to a 2009 study published in the British Medical Journal, in the 1–4 age group, there are over 130 boys for every 100 girls.

According to a 2012 survey only around 7% of the population of Guangdong belongs to organised religions, the largest groups being Buddhists with 6.2%, followed by Protestants with 0.8% and Catholics with 0.2%.

Around 93% of the population is either irreligious or may be involved in Chinese folk religions worshipping nature gods, ancestral deities, popular sects, Taoist traditions, Buddhist religious traditions & Confucian religious traditions.

According to a survey conducted in 2007, 43.71% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration,the traditional Chinese religion of the lineages organised into lineage churches and ancestral shrines.

Guangdong is governed by a dual-party system like the rest of China. The Governor is in charge of provincial affairs; however, the Communist Party Secretary, often from outside of Guangdong, keeps the Governor in check.

Hong Kong and Macau, while historically parts of Guangdong before becoming colonies of the United Kingdom and Portugal, respectively, are special administrative regions (SARs).

Furthermore, the Basic Laws of both SARs explicitly forbid provincial governments from intervening in local politics.

As a result, many issues with Hong Kong and Macau, such as border policy and water rights, have been settled by negotiations between the SARs' governments and the Guangdong provincial government.

The central region, which is also the political and economic center, is populated predominantly by Yue Chinese speakers,

This though the influx in the last three decades of millions of Mandarin-speaking immigrants has slightly diminished Cantonese linguistic dominance.

This region is associated with Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese opera is a form of Chinese opera popular in Cantonese speaking areas. Related Yue dialects are spoken in most of the western half of the province.

The area comprising the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang in coastal east Guangdong, known as Chaoshan, forms its own cultural sphere.

The Teochew people here, along with Hailufeng people in Shanwei, speak Teochew, which is a Min dialect closely related to mainstream Southern Min (Hokkien) and their cuisine is Teochew cuisine.

Teochew opera is also well-known and has a unique form.

The Hakka people live in large areas of Guangdong, including Huizhou, Meizhou, Shenzhen, Heyuan, Shaoguan and other areas.

Much of the Eastern part of Guangdong is populated by the Hakka people except for the Chaozhou and Hailufeng area.

Hakka culture include Hakka cuisine, Han opera, Hakka Hanyue and sixian traditional instrumental music and Hakka folk songs.

Zhanjiang in southern Guangdong is dominated by the Leizhou dialect, a variety of Minnan; Cantonese and Hakka are also spoken there.

Mandarin is the language used in education and government and in areas where there are migrants from other provinces, above all in Shenzhen.

Cantonese maintains a strong and dominant position in common usage and media, even in eastern areas of the province where the local languages and dialects are non-Yue ones.

Guangdong Province is notable for being the birthplace of many famed Xiangqi (Chinese chess) grandmasters such as Lu Qin, Yang Guanli, Cai Furu and Xu Yinchuan.

Eastern Guangdong - the coastal area east of the Pearl River Delta including the prefectures of Shanwei, Jieyang, Shantou and Chaozhou

Northern Guangdong - the inland part of Guangdong including the prefectures of Yunfu, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan, Shaoguan, Heyuan and Meizhou

Pearl River Delta - the world's workshop, a major manufacturing area. Guangdong produces a third of China's total exports and most of those are from the Delta region.

The area from Shenzhen to Guangzhou is essentially one massive factory city. The region includes the prefectures of Jiangmen, Foshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen and Huizhou

Western Guangdong - the coastal area west of the Pearl River Delta including the prefectures of Zhanjiang, Maoming and Yangjiang

Cities in Guangdong Province

Guangzhou - largest city and capital of the province; economic, political and cultural center

Dongguan - center for the garment trade, light manufacturing, and electronics, between Guangzhou and Shenzhen

Qingyuan - popular amongst local travelers for its white-water rafting and hot springs.

Shantou - on the coast North of Hong Kong, SEZ

Shaoguan - located in northern Guangdong

Shenzhen - boom town on border with Hong Kong, SEZ

Zhongshan - Hometown of the revolutionary father of modern China, Sun Yatsen, and now a major industrial city southwest of Guangzhou

Zhanjiang - in the West, near Hainan

Zhuhai - fast growing town on border with Macau, SEZ

Shenzhen. Zhuhai and Shantou are Special Economic Zones (SEZs) where various government programs encourage investment.

Notable attractions include Danxia Mountain, Yuexiu Hill, Baiyun Mountain in Guangzhou, Star Lake and the Seven Star Crags, Dinghu Mountain, and the Zhongshan Sun Wen Memorial Park for Sun Yat-sen in Zhongshan.

Kaiping - A small town famous for its mixture of western and eastern style castle-like dwellings built by overseas Chinese and the setting for the popular Chinese film called Let the Bullets Fly.

Mandarin is widely spoken, almost universally by educated people, especially in areas like Shenzhen and Zhuhai which have been built through migration from all across China.

The historic language of the region is still Cantonese which differs from Mandarin as much as French differs from Italian or Spanish.

Cantonese or Guangdongren people are extremely proud of their language, this applies to neighboring Hong Kong as well and continue to use it widely despite endless efforts at Mandarinization.

Cantonese itself is more closely related to the language of the great Tang Dynasty than the more modern circa Yuan Dynasty, Mandarin.

Cantonese people worldwide thus tend to refer to themselves as Tong Yan or People of the Tang in Cantonese rather than Han, the standard appellation for all ethnic Chinese.

Note that there can be significant dialectal variations within Cantonese itself, and the Cantonese spoken in areas in the far Western reaches of Guangdong and neighboring eastern Guangxi Province as well.

For instance Taishan are only marginally, or sometimes even not mutually intelligible with the Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong or Guangzhou.

Cantonese is also the native language of the neighboring northeastern part of Guangxi province. Nevertheless, the Guangzhou dialect of Cantonese is considered to be the prestige or standardized dialect.

Its is generally understood throughout the Cantonese-speaking areas. Note that in Hong Kong, Cantonese enjoys official status.

At the coastal areas near the Southern border of Fujian, most notably Chaozhou and Shantou, a variant of Minnan Hokkien-Taiwanese known commonly as Teochew, the native pronunciation of Chaozhou is spoken.

Teochew is not mutually intelligible with Cantonese, but is mutually intelligible with the Xiamen/Taiwanese dialect of Minnan to a small degree.

Certain parts of the province are also home to Hakka communities, and they speak the Hakka dialect, which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin or Teochew. However the Hakka dialect is partially intelligible with Cantonese.

There are several large modern airports in the region: Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau have many international flights; Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou cater almost entirely for domestic Chinese flights.

The area is also well connected to the rest of China by road and rail.

There are also many ports, mainly container ports handling massive freight traffic (2.4 million tons in 2003), but with some passenger services.

In particular, there are ferries mostly fast hydrofoils connecting Hong Kong and Macau with the neighboring Guangdong cities Shenzhen and Zhuhai, and some even run upriver to Guangzhou.

Foreign nationals from 51 countries who transit through Guangzhou Airport when flying between two different countries, for example, London-Guangzhou-Auckland qualify for a 72-hour visa-free stopover.

For the purpose of the policy, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are treated as international flights, for example, London-Guangzhou-Taipei would qualify.

The name of the policy is a bit of a misnomer, as the 72 hour period actually begins at 00:01 after the day of arrival, for example, if you arrive in Guangzhou Airport at 09:00 on 1 January, you can stay until 23:59 on 4 January.

During the 72 hour visa-free stopover, you are allowed to move freely within Guangdong Province. You must fly into and fly out of Guangzhou Airport.

In China, there is an extensive rail network; Guangzhou is one of the major hubs. Rail is the main means of inter-city travel for the Chinese themselves, and many visitors travel that way as well.

The system now includes fast bullet trains on some routes; unless your budget is very tight, these are the best way to go fast, clean and comfortable.

All the major cities have airports with good domestic connections; some have international connections as well.

There is also an extensive highway network, much of it very good. Buses go almost anywhere, somewhat cheaper than the trains. Tao Bus operates coach services at competitive prices throughout Guangdong province. Driving yourself is also possible, but often problematic; see Driving in China.

Tourist spots to visitin Guangdong

- Star Lake in Zhaoqing

- Mount Xiqiao in Foshan

- Mount Danxia in Shaoguan

- Qingxin Hot Springs in Qingyuan

- Hailing Island's Dajiao Bay in Yangjiang

- Nanling national forest park in Shaoguan

- Baiyun Hill in Guangzhou

- Xiangjiang Wildlife Park in Guangzhou

- Overseas Chinese Town in Shenzhen

- Guanlan Golf Course in Shenzhen

- Yuanming New Park in Zhuhai

- Dr. Sun Yat-sen's birthplace in Zhongshan

A visitor will grasp an understanding of China's history and culture as well as experience the customs and cultural differences both between their own culture and China and between Guangdong and other regions of China.

Guangdong has a many restaurants, with Guangzhou in particular having a reputation as a diner's paradise.

Other than sit-down restaurants, bustling night markets provide an eclectic mix of inexpensive finger foods, snacks, and delicacies.

These markets are filled with shops and food carts integrating the eating and window-shopping experiences. Night markets are usually very crowded with both tourists and locals.

The major cities of Guangdong are heavily infested with pickpockets, and anyone who does not look Chinese is a prime target. For some info on defenses, see pickpockets.

As with everywhere else in Mainland China, prostitution is illegal but common. However the city of Foshan is the only jurisdiction in Mainland China that legalizes prostitution.

But only erotic massages or Happy Endings is legal. Homosexual prostitution is illegal and is known to be prosecuted.

Enjoy Guangdong.



Tourism Observer

CHINA: Chinese New Year Of The Dog,Men Born In Dog Year Are Straightforward,Genuine,Energetic, Pessimistic, Women Are Cautious And Don’t Trust Easily

The happiest-time-of-the-year among Chinese communities offer lucrative opportunities to those with the know-how and know-who.

According to tales and legends, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian would eat villagers, especially children. One year, all the villagers decided to go hide from the beast.

An old man appeared before the villagers went into hiding and said that he's going to stay the night, and decided to get revenge on the Nian. All the villagers thought he was insane.

The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The day after, the villagers came back to their town to see that nothing was destroyed.

They assumed that the old man was a deity who came to save them. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises.

When the New Year was about to come, the villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns, and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian.

From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. After that, Nian retreated to a nearby mountain. The name of the mountain has long been lost over the years.

During the festival, people around China will prepare different gourmet for families and guests. Influenced by the flourished cultures, foods from different places look and taste totally different.

Among them, the most well-known ones are dumplings from northern China and Tangyuan from southern China.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in modern China, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia.

Celebrations traditionally run from the evening preceding the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month.

The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between January 21 and February 20 In 2018, the first day of the Lunar New Year was on Friday, 16 February, initiating the year of the Dog.

It is one of the world's most prominent and celebrated festivals, and involves the largest annual mass human migration in the world.

It is a major holiday in Greater China and has had strong influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mauritius, Australia, Philippines and Russia.

While mainly celebrated in Asia, it has also been seen around the world, due to the influence of Chinese diaspora and China's growing status.

The New Year festival is centuries old and associated with several myths and customs. Traditionally, the festival was a time to honour deities as well as ancestors.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Lunar New Year vary widely.

Often, the evening preceding Lunar New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.

It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck.

Windows and doors are decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of good fortune or happiness, wealth, and longevity.

Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. In about one third of the Mainland population, or 500 million Northerners, dumplings especially those of vegetarian fillings feature prominently in the meals celebrating the festival.

Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of countries and territories where there is a sizable Chinese population.

Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday.

In some countries, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a weekend, as in the case of 2013, where the New Year's Eve (9 February) falls on Saturday and the New Year's Day (10 February) on Sunday.

Depending on the country, the holiday may be termed differently; common names are Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, New Year Festival, and Spring Festival.

A reunion dinner, named as Nian Ye Fan, is held on New Year's Eve during which family members gather for a celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family.

The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and sumptuous and traditionally includes dishes of meat namely, pork and chicken and fish.

Most reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the meal.

Most reunion dinners particularly in the Southern regions also prominently feature specialty meats e.g. wax-cured meats like duck and Chinese sausage and seafood e.g. lobster and abalone that are usually reserved for this and other special occasions during the remainder of the year.

In most areas, fish is included, but not eaten completely and the remainder is stored overnight, as the Chinese phrase may there be surpluses every year or let there be fish every year.

Eight individual dishes are served to reflect the belief of good fortune associated with the number. If in the previous year a death was experienced in the family, seven dishes are served.

Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability.

Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.

Like many other New Year dishes, certain ingredients also take special precedence over others as these ingredients also have similar-sounding names with prosperity, good luck, or even counting money.

Traditionally, red envelopes or red packets are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children.

During this period, red packets are also known as yasuiqian, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit.

Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in the red packets should be of even numbers, as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals.

The number 8 is considered lucky for its homophone for wealth, and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US.

The number six or liu is also very lucky as it sounds like smooth, in the sense of having a smooth year. The number four is the worst because its homophone is death. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets.

Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers and are thus appropriate as funeral cash gifts.

However, it is common and quite acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note with ten or fifty yuan bills used frequently. It is customary for the bills to be brand new printed money.

Everything regarding the New Year has to be new in order to have good luck and fortune.

The act of asking for red packets is normally called tao-hongbaoin Mandarin or tao-hongbao in Cantonese.

A married person would not turn down such a request as it would mean that he or she would be out of luck in the new year. Red packets are generally given by established married couples to the younger non-married children of the family.

It is custom and polite for children to wish elders a happy new year and a year of happiness, health and good fortune before accepting the red envelope.

Red envelopes are then kept under the pillow and slept on for seven nights after Chinese New Year before opening because that symbolizes good luck and fortune.

In Taiwan in the 2000s, some employers also gave red packets as a bonus to maids, nurses or domestic workers from Southeast Asian countries, although whether this is appropriate is controversial.

The Japanese have a similar tradition of giving money during the New Year, called Otoshidama.

In addition to red envelopes, which are usually given from older people to younger people, small gifts usually food or sweets are also exchanged between friends or relatives of different households during Chinese New Year.

Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives at their homes. Common gifts include fruits typically oranges, and never pears, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, and candies.

Certain items should not be given, as they are considered taboo. Taboo gifts include:

- items associated with funerals (i.e. handkerchiefs, towels, chrysanthemums, items colored white and black)

- items that show that time is running out (i.e. clocks and watches)

- sharp objects that symbolize cutting a tie (i.e. scissors and knives)

- items that symbolize that you want to walk away from a relationship examples: shoes and sandals
mirrors

- homonyms for unpleasant topics examples: "clock" sounds like "the funeral ritual", green hats because "wear a green hat" sounds like "cuckold", "handkerchief" sounds like "goodbye", "pear" sounds like "separate", and "umbrella" sounds like "disperse".

Markets or village fairs are set up as the New Year is approaching. These usually open-air markets feature new year related products such as flowers, toys, clothing, and even fireworks and firecrackers.

It is convenient for people to buy gifts for their new year visits as well as their home decorations.

In some places, the practice of shopping for the perfect plum tree is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a Christmas tree.

Hong Kong filmmakers also release New Year celebration films, mostly comedies, at this time of year.

Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that was burnt to create small explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits.

In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of firecrackers during the festive season.

Firecrackers are usually strung on a long fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core.

Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits.

The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.

The use of firecrackers, although a traditional part of the celebration, has over the years led to many unfortunate outcomes.

There have been reported incidents every year of users of fireworks being blinded, losing body parts, or suffering other grievous injuries, especially during the Chinese New Year season.

Hence, many governments and authorities eventually enacted laws completely banning the use of firecrackers privately, primarily because of safety issues.

For New Year celebrations that are lunar but not based on the Chinese New Year such as Korea's Seollal and Vietnam's Tet.

For other countries where Chinese New Year is celebrated but not an official holiday, see the section below on Festivities outside China.

In the first five days of Chinese New Year (CNY) 2018, Chinese movie box office receipts totaled RMB4.6 billion, a rise of almost 60% from a year earlier.

On the CNY eve, more than 300,000 Chinese families ordered reunion dinner delivery through Alipay and Koubei, a restaurant review and local services platform under Alipay.

On the other hand, Alibaba said the sales of imported fresh food on Tmall jumped by about 300% year-on-year, with Chilean king crabs, Boston lobsters, and fish from New Zealand being the most popular.

This is the Year of the Dog according to Chinese zodiac. Also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year and spring on the lunar calendar.

Time for family reunions, red packets, colorful celebrations, and sumptuous feasts, among many more folk customs.

To marketers and businesses, the associated spending spree, which has got even more exciting, flashes not-to-be-missed room for growth. CNY celebrations today are on-the-move, digital, and big-budget.

In China, most employees have at least seven days off work, with many enjoying two weeks of holidays; and for students, one month away from school.

The Chinese New Year holiday is a global Golden Week for overseas tourist destination according to China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

By 2022, it is forecast that China will be the world’s largest source of outbound tourism demand.

Shanghai-based travel website Ctrip’s pre-2018 holiday report reveals people from more than 200 Chinese cities had booked outbound tours to over 700 cities in 68 countries and regions, with the tourists expected to spend US$1,510 each on their trips.

Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam are the most popular destinations while some favor the Nordic countries and the United Arab Emirates, or travel far to Antarctica.

CNTA data also indicates that outbound travel by Chinese residents grew 270% since 2008 by 2017 and is forecast to rise to 200 million departures by 2020.

Notably, the outbound expenditure increased 730% in 2017 when compared to outbound expenditure in 2008.

According to a spokesperson of travel intelligence agency ForwardKeys, bookings for outbound travel during Chinese New Year, in February 2018, are currently 40% ahead of where they were at the same time last year.

How about inbound travel on the Chinese mainland? CNTA’s most recent figures from February 23, this year say that Spring Festival 2018 saw 386 million inbound travelers, up 12.1% from 2017.

The inbound tourism revenue grew by 12.6% year-on-year to RMB475 billion in 2018. The top ten most popular provinces include Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Guangxi, Hubei, and Zhejiang.

Finer taste, more discerning demand, and enhanced diversity were also noted in the Spring Festival inbound travel this year.

Chinese New Year goes digital in a lot of ways

The red packet or hong bao practice, gifting money in red envelopes, is a distinguished Chinese New Year tradition.

With the world’s largest internet population and smartphone market in China, the red packet has conveniently gone digital in China.

Tencent reported recently that 768 million people use its WeChat, the most popular messaging app in China, to send out digital red packets, up 10% from 2017.

The 768 million senders represented about 78% of the total 980 million monthly active users of WeChat, and 55% of the entire population in China.

In 2015, three billion digital red packets were sent through WeChat. That surged to 46 billion in 2017.

In addition, the red packet function can also be found on platforms of Alibaba and a number of other Chinese companies.

It is obvious that reaching the Chinese consumer is a key growth strategy for consumer-facing businesses given China’s sustained economic growth, rising incomes, 1.3 billion consumers, and expanding middle class.

The Chinese economy is the world’s second largest.

Chinese residents stepped spending during this year’s Spring Festival. The retail and catering sectors in China raked in RMB926 billion yuan from February 15 to 21, equivalent to an increase of 10.2% compared with 2017, data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce shows.

High-tech products are the latest gift trend, indicated by numbers from Taobao, JD.com, and Suning.com. Added to all this is the old custom of getting new clothing and shoes to symbolize a fresh start.

Solving the puzzle of reaching Chinese consumers – doable with the know-how and know-how

China’s 300 million middle-class population accounts for 30% of the total global population, and it is growing.

Chinese consumers today spend more on lifestyle services and experiences as they move from mass to premium segments. Happiness and a balanced life are increasingly valued, as evidenced by the rising trend of tourism.

Data is king if companies want to connect with Chinese consumers who make up the largest group of app and internet users in the world, in particular, segment-by-segment. China’s e-commerce sector is worth $600 billion.

Some prefer well-planned vacations while others are the last-minute type. It is important to leverage behavioural insights and deliver influential messages across all relevant touch-points at the right time.

Marketing dollars ought to be spent on high-potential prospects and adopting a data-driven approach to precisely reach the Chinese wallets.

The Dog is the eleventh of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party.

Monkey, Rooster and Dog were in another country, helping a god defeat evil spirits. After, they set off to the party together.

Because they arrived at the same time, the Jade Emperor went by the order they met the god in the other country. Thus, Dog became eleventh.

The Dog is also associated with the Earthly Branch, and the hours 7–9 in the evening. In the terms of yin and yang, the Dog is yang.

In China, it is still popular to name dogs Wang Cai. It means prosperous wealth and comes from dogs’ barking sounds.

Honest and loyal, Dogs are the truest friends and most reliable partner.

Recent years of the Dog are: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Paired with the Celestial Stems, there is a 60-year calendrical cycle. Although xu is associated with earth, the years also cycle through the five elements of nature.

A Dog’s most defining characteristic is their loyalty. They will never abandon their friends, family or work.

Honest and just, they are popular in social circles. Everyone needs a Dog friend for advice and help. They are also good at helping others find and fix their bad habits.

Despite how they act, they are worried and anxious inside. However, they will not let this stop them. Once they decide on something, no one can persuade them against it.

These Dogs are traditional and attractive. They have high self-esteem and don’t like receiving help. But they like helping others, though it sometimes causes problems for themselves.

They will take over someone’s position and it’ll open up a smooth road to success.

Water 1922, 1982 These Dogs are calculative planners. They focus on building a strong foundation for their future. But when faced with difficulties, they can become very pessimistic. They work hard, but should create bigger goals in order to use their full potential.

Wood 1934, 1994 These Dogs are trustworthy and polite. If given help, they’ll do whatever they can to repay the kindness. They adhere strongly to their morals and ethics.

Others can find it hard to understand. They do well in jobs that require patience and will keep fighting until they succeed.

Fire 1946, 2006 These Dogs are dream chasers. They generally have smaller dreams that are easy to fulfill, which motivates them to continue on. When friends have trouble, they’ll give advice but won’t set out immediately to help.

Every step must be thought out carefully before they act.

Earth 1958, 2018 These Dogs are stubborn and never give up. They aren’t very connected with the world and society. Though stubborn, they respect other perspectives. They believe that as long as they work hard, they’ll make it.

Men born in the Dog year are straightforward and genuine. They are energetic, though they’re more pessimistic inside.

Very opinionated, they’re always ready to correct others and defend their stance. It’s not that they want to show off. They just feel it’s necessary to help others realize their mistakes.

These men care deeply for their family. Their stubbornness fades in the face of their loved ones. They work to understand and compromise, resulting in a harmonious family life.

Women born in the Dog year are very cautious. They are indifferent towards people they don’t like, and don’t trust easily. But once they do, it’s permanent. They are intensely protective of their friends and family.

They are genial and independent. They love outdoor activities and being in nature. However, they are also hard workers and don’t give up until they succeed. Security and a stable income are her requirements for a career.

Dogs are the most compatible with Rabbits. They’re attracted to the Rabbit’s kindness, while the Rabbit supports Dogs in the background.

Dogs are often pessimistic and needs a Tiger’s reassurance. Tigers also need a Dog’s loyalty. With Horses, both understand and respect each other’s opinions.

Dogs and Dragons clash strongly and are the least compatible. Neither trusts each other and they have intense arguments.

There’s a cold relationship with Oxen. They have different interests and can’t interact smoothly. Dogs and Goats are able to tolerate each other, but there’s not much else.

Dogs are loyal and obey all orders. They put in their biggest effort to accomplish any task given to them. Because they aren’t satisfied with being worse than others, a competitive job would suit them well.

They are also sensitive to details and have strong reasoning skills. They see the dangers of being in a position of high status. This is why they’re willing to stay in the background and support others.

They’d do well in a behind-the-scenes type of job. Dogs are observant and have strong morals. They judge everyone before deciding if the person is trustworthy.

This makes them a good candidate for careers such as referees, lawyers and interviewers.

Dogs are healthy overall, but the status of their health often has drastic changes. Though they seem resilient, it actually hides the symptoms that they may have.

The smallest colds can put them in bed for days. Be wary of influenza and other contagious diseases during summer and autumn seasons

They should pay attention to their digestive system during their youth. Their biggest enemy is their unhealthy diet.

Once in the workforce, Dogs will constantly be busy. The stress will lead to headaches and migraines. In extreme cases, it can even lead to hysteria.

To create a strong base, Dogs should begin the habit of exercising early on. Taking breaks as needed and relaxing activities such as yoga are recommended.

The year of one’s zodiac sign is their ben ming nian. It is traditionally the most unlucky year with trouble and danger lurking at every corner.

There will be unforeseeable problems in work. The financial situation is quite risky. Dogs will also find it difficult to communicate with loved ones too.

In order to not make things worse, Dogs should keep a low profile. Thinking before they speak and act is the key.

It’s hard to concentrate on studies. Dogs will be distracted by other things and they’re grades will slip. They should also keep a low profile so they don’t attract bullies.

Dogs should also be careful of safety during activities outside of class.

Nothing too drastic happens to Dogs’ health in 2018. They should rest well to prevent fatigue and exhaustion.

Other than that, Dogs should be careful of sharp objects, especially in June. They should also take care of their family’s safety.

Healthy months are: Lunar March (April 16-May 14), June (July 13-August 10) and September (Oct 9-Nov 7).

Months where Dogs must be careful with their health are: Lunar January (Feb 16-March 16), April (May 15-June 13) and October (Nov 8-Dec 6).

The social life this year will be full of headaches. There are arguments both at home and outside. Dogs must communicate and resolve conflicts. Otherwise, they may find themselves alone by the end of the year.

The sweet months are: Lunar March (April 16-May 14), September (Oct 9-Nov 7) and December (Jan 6-Feb 4, 2019).

Months where relationship problems will easily occur are: Lunar February (March 17-April 15), June (July 13-August 10), July (August 11-Sept 9) and August (Sept 30-Oct 8).

The directions of fortune and wealth for Dogs this year are the southeast, southwest and north. It would be the best to put the bed, worktable and sofa in these positions of the room.

To avoid bad luck, do not put important furniture in the south and east.

Lucky numbers that will open the road to wealth are 4 and 6.

The lucky colors in 2018 are yellow, red and orange. Decorating the home or wearing these colors will help greatly with changing luck for the better. Colors to avoid are green and gray.

Overall, this is a year that Dogs must get through.

It’s the Chinese tradition to wear red underwear every day during their zodiac year. Dogs can try this to ward off the bad luck.

Once past this year, Dogs can continue on their steady and quiet road to happiness.

Chinese New Year Clothes

This Chinese tradition goes all the way back to the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589 AD). In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), everyone would show off their new clothing as they visited friends on New Year’s Day.

In the Republican period (1912-1949), beautiful new clothes were needed as the youth paid their respects to the elders. It’s a part of Spring Festival celebrations, just like the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner. You might be able to guess why.

The Spring Festival is a time of change and new beginnings. Practically every activity during the Spring Festival has the purpose of removing the old and welcoming the new.

Forget about the misfortunes and be ready for good luck. In addition, new clothes are auspicious and can protect you from evil spirits.

Like the New Year couplets and other decorations, new clothes also add to the festivity. In the past, China was an agrarian society. There was only 1 harvest per year in the north and 2-3 in the south.

Throughout the entire year, people scrimped and saved.

But during Chinese New Year, people can finally splurge and treat themselves. This side of new clothes is a little lost on the younger generations.

But it’s a sign that the current standard of living is higher than before. Still, it’s important to be aware of the historical significance.

How and when?

You can buy yourself new clothes. But often, they will be given as gifts from the family. Because it’s a sign of a fresh start, it’s best to wear your new attire on New Year’s Day.

There actually aren’t any special requirements as to what kind of new clothing. In ancient China, people would follow the fashion trends of that time. There’s nothing wrong with you doing the same as well.

But if you want to have more of a traditional flare, there are some styles you can choose from. Most traditional-wear still popular today are from the Qing dynasty.

Tang suit used to refer to dress from the Tang dynasty. But the “new” Tang suit is a jacket that combines the Man riding jacket (Qing dynasty) and the Western suit.

A red Tang suit is a great choice for the Spring Festival. You can find styles that fit both genders.

If you’re a fan of Chinese martial arts, you might have seen this type of clothing in movies. Jackie Chan especially seems to like wearing them. The Tang suit was also the “dress code” for the 2001 APEC meeting.

Men’s: Chinese Classic Jacket

Women’s: Women’s Tang Zhuang

It has an upturned collar and straight lapels. The suit features traditional Chinese knots (frog buttons). The material is usually brocade, a luxury fabric in ancient times.

Originally, it was seamless between the body and sleeves. This allowed for comfortable movement, but the looseness doesn’t quite fit modern aesthetics.

Most Tang suits nowadays are modified and tailored. Many have auspicious symbols and words embroidered into the shirt.

The qipao entered mainstream Chinese culture during the Qing dynasty. But the modern styles we know today are very different from how it was originally. It began as a conservative dress with straight and loose cuts.

Intricate designs were embroidered into the fabric. Through colonization, the qipao became westernized.

Qipao is the most well-known traditional Chinese dress for women.

Starting in the mid-1800s until now, the changes go back and forth. Styles swing between long and short, tight and loose. Nowadays, the qipao is usually very tight-fitting (it’s recommended to get the dress custom-made).

Openings can start as high up as the thigh.

However, modern styles still preserve the stiff straight collar and frog buttons. Popular embroidered designs include flowers, birds and phoenixes.

The term cheongsam is usually used by Westerners to refer to women’s qipao. However, it literally means long shirt/dress. It is loose-fitting and usually worn by men now.

Cheongsam, it is a modified version of Qing dynasty clothing and was formal wear during the 1900s. The cut for the sideways lapel symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

The length of the cheongsam also represents status, since longer clothing is unsuitable for physical labor. In the Republican era, it was the clothing of educated scholars.

Hanfu translates literally to clothing of the Han ethnicity. It encompasses traditional clothing up until the Qing dynasty. This means too many types and variations to count.

Partiss Embroidered Hanfu, Generally, a hanfu outfit includes a shirt and a skirt. The shirt has crossed lapels and the sleeves are long and wide. The skirt is long and sometimes starts above the bosom.

Tang dynasty hanfu influenced the Japanese kimono, while the Ming dynasty influenced the Korean hanbok.

The elegant cuts and fresh colors will bring something unique to your wardrobe. There are also modern versions, including shorter skirts and more Western elements.

If you’re looking for something dressier and eye-catching, hanfu is the answer.

Rhinestone Crystal Hair Accessory, in ancient times, men were not allowed to go without a headdress. That’s not necessary anymore though. You can choose whatever handsome hairstyle you’d like.

There are fancier choices for women. Using chopsticks as hair accessories is a misconception. Instead, ornate wands are used. They usually taper off to an intricate design, inlaid with jewels, and trinkets hang off the end.

If you wear a hanfu, you can also add a pendant to the waistband.

When buying clothes for Chinese New Year, go for red. This is the best color for the occasion. Stay away from black and white, as they are unlucky and negative.

Also remember that new clothes are a set part of Spring Festival celebrations, but it’s not necessary to wear a full traditional gear to a dinner party.

The Tang suit is the most popular choice. Qipaos are also accepted, although the nature of the dress isn’t the best for the winter season. The hanfu and cheongsam is regaining popularity, but is still not as widely accepted.

Be careful of cultural appropriation when wearing traditional clothing of another culture. Many native Chinese are okay with it. In fact, they’ll be delighted if they see foreigners in traditional clothing.

However, many Chinese expats in other countries find it uncomfortable. If a Chinese friend is the host or guest of the party, it’ll never hurt to ask them how they feel about it.

Other than that, welcome the coming year with a fresh new look and a smile.

Chinese New Year Dishes

Family is the basis of the Chinese society, which is seen through the significance placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner or Nian yefan and Reunion dinner or tuan nianfan. This feast is extremely important to the Chinese.

All family members must come back. Even if they truly can’t, the rest of the family will leave their spot empty and place a spare set of utensils for them.

In the legend of the Spring Festival’s origin, this was when the monster Nian would come and terrorize the villages. The people would hide in their homes, prepare a feast with offerings to the ancestors and gods, and hope for the best.

In Hunan, the chicken is steamed and, when arranging, the head should be upright.

Steamed Chicken or zheng ji

A whole chicken is another symbol of family. Rich in protein, one chicken is enough to feed an entire family. It represents reunion and rebirth. To express this auspicious meaning, people keep the head and claws.

After cooking, people will first offer the chicken to the ancestors. Though only a superstition now, praying to the ancestors for blessings and protection is still a significant part of the Spring Festival and Chinese culture.

In Hubei, chicken soup is the first meal of the new year. It is a wish for peace. The main workers of the family should eat chicken feet, also called phoenix claws or feng zhua.

This is supposed to help them grasp onto wealth. Chicken wings help you fly higher, while the bones represent outstanding achievement.

For the first meal, some also cook eggs. The egg white and yolk represent gold and silver and are simple gifts for friends and neighbors.

Nian gao

Nian gao, also known as rice cake or New Year cake in English, are a must for Chinese New Year.

In ancient times, nian gao were used only as offerings to the ancestors and gods. Gradually, they became a traditional dish during the Spring Festival.

Now they are available every day of the year, but are still a special treat for the festival.

Nian gao also has the same pronunciation as gao – tall/high. It’s a wish to be successful and higher each year.

Every year will be better than the last. Some humorous parents like to tell their children that eating this will help them grow taller too.

They are either made of sticky glutinous rice or yellow rice, giving nian gao two major colors and textures.

Nian gao was already popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420). But after more than two thousand years of development, there are a crazy amount of variations.

Nian gao from northern regions and the south almost seem like entirely different things.

They are typically are savory in the South. Store bought nian gao are hard and must be boiled first. They are then steamed or cooked with vegetables and meat.

A common dish includes Chinese cabbage, salted vegetables and thin strips of pork. Prepared like this, nian gao are a substitute for rice or noodles.

Rather than the usual batter, sugar can be added to the glutinous rice powder to make the sweet nian gao favored by the North. The batter can also include lard, rose petals, osthmanthus, hibiscus and mint for extra flavoring.

For the ones with a true sweet tooth, it’s also acceptable to directly dip nian gao in white sugar.

Northern style nian gao are more like desserts and snacks.

In Beijing, the types seen are jujube nian gao, hundred fruit nian gao and white nian gao. Jujube has the same pronunciation as early, while hundred fruit nian gao represent a cornucopia of precious gems.

It’s common to steam nian gao with jujube and red beans in Hebei. On the other hand, people of Shanxi and Inner Mongoliao like to deep fry the batter and add fillings of red bean paste and mashed jujube.

Vegetable dishes

Spring is the season to plant new seeds. Traditionally, the Spring Festival is the best time to finish all the vegetables stored and preserved from the winter.

A dish of all sorts of vegetables put together can always be seen on the table during New Years. This dish can be called tian yuan su xiao chao, or countryside vegetarian stir-fry.

Mushrooms, jujube and Chinese cabbage are often included, in addition to your typical greens.

Some symbolic vegetables to consider are:

Seaweed: symbolize wealth and fortune

Lotus seeds: a blessing for many children and a healthy family

Bamboo shoots: represent longevity, as well as going onward and up

Muskmelon and grapefruit: symbolize family and hope. In addition, grapefruit symbolizes wealth and prosperity

Osmanthus flower petals: in Chinese, osmanthus is a homophone, which means noble and precious

Leek/chives: leek sounds similar to, meaning long and everlasting

Poria mushrooms: another play on words, this mushroom sounds similar to fu lu, or blessings and fortune

Hot pot

For many, hot pot is the centerpiece of Spring Festival dinners.

The bubbling soup in the pot gives off a warm and festive feeling. Hot pot is another food that has a long history. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty is the most avid fan.

When he held feasts for old and retired officials, hot pot with meat were always on the menu. During his New Year’s Eve dinner, there were 120 dishes for lunch and even more for hot pot.

Despite being loved by commoners and royalty alike, hot pots are actually quite basic. It’s simply a bubbling pot and plates of uncooked meat and vegetables. You can choose whatever you like to throw into the pot.

Wait until it’s cooked, take it out and eat.

Part of the flavor comes from the broth you choose in the pot. The other part is your own dipping sauce. There are special hot pot sauces.

You can also make your own using one raw egg, sesame paste, salt, sugar, cilantro and peppers. Hot pot is an extremely customizable dish. Everything mentioned in this article can be included, even the noodles.

Some of the foods such as spring rolls and dumplings, can also be eaten outside of the main meal. Of course, there are many more snacks and desserts throughout the duration of the Spring Festival.

As the TV Show A Bite of China even if the other ancient traditions of the Spring Festival are modernized, the food culture will never disappear.

Everyone brings out their specialty dishes for the feast. Food is one of the things that the Chinese take the most pride in. And of course, lot of care and thought is put into the menu for the most important holiday of the year.

As with Chinese New Year activities and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and auspiciousness.

Though every region or even household have different customs, there are some common dishes seen on every table.

Spring rolls

Eggrolls are probably the most well-known of Chinese cuisine. However, they’re actually spring rolls. They are eaten during the Spring Festival in Southern China to celebrate the coming of spring.

More specifically, they are eaten on the first day of spring or li chun. They can appear on the table as a dinner dish, appetizer or snack.

Because they look like bars of gold, spring rolls are a wish for prosperity and wealth.

Most are familiar with the deep fried version of spring rolls. Throughout China, they can also be steamed or baked. Size and shape vary from small rectangles to large flat circles.

During the Jin Dynasty (circa 265-420), people would arrange spring rolls and vegetables together on a plate.

This was known as the Spring Platter or chun pan. During the Spring Festival, emperors would award officials with Spring Platters. Each platter is said to have been worth thousands.

Spring roll skins are made of flour, water and some salt. The filling depends on your personal taste. Traditionally, the filling is made of pork, Chinese cabbage, shiitake, carrots and seasoning.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are Shangainese style red bean paste spring rolls. Now, there are even ice cream fillings.

To make, create the filling of your choice. Place around 2 spoons onto the center of the spring roll skin. Tuck in the sides and roll it up, sealing the edges with egg whites.

Finish by throwing them into the deep fryer until the skin is golden and crispy.

Dumplings

Another well-known dish, dumplings are the northern equivalent of spring rolls. They are eaten during every special occasion, but are the most significant during Chinese New Year. That’s a lot of dumplings. But there’s good reason.

Dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese silver and gold ingots. By wrapping dumplings, you are wrapping in the fortune. After eating them, you will live a wealthy and prosperous life.

In Chinese, dumplings or jiao zi sounds like jiao zi. Jiao means exchange and zi is the midnight hours. Put together, jiao zi is the exchange between the old and new year. All dumplings should be wrapped at this time.

By eating dumplings, you are sending away the old and welcoming the new.

Dumplings are steamed but they can be pan-fried too and called pot stickers or guo tie.

There are too many different types of filling to count. You can have whatever type of meat, vegetable and flavor you’d like.

Typically, they include Chinese cabbage, green onion, pork and shrimp just similar to spring rolls.

In the Suzhou province, egg fillings are a must. The dumpling symbolizes the silver ingot, while the egg is gold.

Meat and bamboo strip filling is called si si qi qi, which means that everything needed will be available.

Some people will also put a coin in a random dumpling. Whoever eats it will have great luck that year.

In addition to the joy of eating delicious food, the making process is a family bonding activity too. During New Year preparations, every member of the family participates and wraps dumplings.

In certain regions, the daughter-in-law must make a dumpling to be considered part of the family.

Noodles

In some places, it’s custom to cook dumplings and noodles together. This is called gold silk and gold ingots. It’s yet another dish to express people’s wishes for prosperity.

Though the origin of noodles is heavily disputed, there’s no doubt that noodles are a staple in Chinese cuisine.

There are all types of noodles: long, short, dry, vegetarian, meat, and more. They can also be made of flour, rice or even green bean powder.

In the beginning, they were called soup pancakes or tang mian. People would tear the dough into little pieces and throw them into the pot. It wasn’t until the Tang Dynasty when people began rolling them into the noodle shape we know today.

For Chinese New Year, people like to eat long noodles.

They are also called chang shou mian, which means longevity noodles. You aren’t allowed to cut them and should try not to chew either. The longer the noodle, the longer your life will be. This calls for a lot of slurping.

With noodles, there is great flexibility for sides and ingredients. Many vegetables and meats have symbolic meanings as well.

For example:

Eggs: big and healthy family

Lobster: endless money rolling in

Shrimp: fortune and wealth

Roasted pig: peace

Duck: loyalty

Peaches: longevity

Tofu: happiness and fortune for the entire family

Fish: surplus and wealth

Steamed Fish

Fish is a must for the Chinese New Year. Why does fish symbolize surplus and wealth? In Chinese, fish has the same pronunciation which means surplus or extra.

The typical blessing is Nian nian youyu, wishing you to have a surplus or fish of food and money every year.

Half of the fish is eaten for dinner, and the second half the next day. This is to prolong the surplus and make the future prosperous as well. A whole fish also represents a harmonious and whole family.

Some would cook a bigheaded carp. But only the middle would be eaten, while the head and tail are left intact.

The Chinese phrase is you tou you wei, to have both a head and tail. This is a reminder to finish everything you start and wish for positive results. During dinner, the fish head should be placed facing the guests.

In Hunan, red peppers are added after broiling the fish. Red is a festive and lucky color and the spicy hotness expresses wishes for fiery thriving business in the new year.

Chinese New Year Drinks

Tusu wine was the ancient nianjiu, or new year wine.

China is famous worldwide for tea. It was originally a medicine, and then slowly entered everyday life as a relaxing drink. It is one of the first things the Chinese offer to guests.

But during Chinese New Year, you’ll be drinking a lot more of something else: alcohol. The wine culture in China is just as long and just as important as tea. Perhaps even more so.

Significance of Wine in China, Alcohol was discovered in China a couple thousand years ago. As an agrarian society, the first alcoholic drinks were made from fermented grain.

Later, fruits and berries, flower petals and milk were all used as ingredients.

Depending on the quality of harvests, the ancient government set different restrictions on alcohol production. Some years, it was banned entirely. Usually, breweries were all government-owned.

In traditional Chinese medicine, wine was often used. It’s also known as bai yao zhi zhang, meaning alcohol is the leader of all medicine. Many prescriptions have scientifically proven benefits and are still used today.

Other potions sound like things from fantasy stories. Ingredients included snake gall, scorpions and more.

But alcohol is mostly used for socializing. What’s better than drinking with friends?

More than that, wine is used in practically every ceremony or event. Wine must be offered to ancestors and gods. You must drink with your new in-laws during a wedding. And you must have alcohol during holidays.

Wine and Drinks in Festivals

Alcohol or jiu is a homophone of long-lasting. During festivals, people will drink to everlasting friendships, happiness and other wishes.

And we all know how good alcohol can make you feel, if you can hold your liquor.

So it’s really no surprise that alcohol is a staple in Chinese celebrations. There are even different drinks designated for the different holidays.

During the Dragon Boat Festival or duan wu jie, you should drink sweet sedge wine. For the Double Nine Festival or zhong yang jie, chrysanthemum wine is the drink. As for the Spring Festival, you should drink nianjiu. Literally translated, it means year alcohol.

Spring Festival Wines and Drinks

The most important meal of the year is the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner. You may not have dumplings, fish or hot pot, but every household will have wine on the table.

There’s no enforced drinking age in China. Everyone in the family will at least take a sip on that night. Not only is it an enjoyable drink, it’s believed that the alcohol can protect from bad luck as well.

The Chinese will drink during dinner. And after, they’ll continue drinking as they wait for midnight to come. Then when they pay New Year visits or have guests come over, alcohol is brought out again.

But despite or due to the importance of nianjiu, there isn’t a specific type. Each household can have their own unique alcoholic beverage that they drink yearly.

White Wine or baijiu

The most common alcohol is Chinese white wine, or baijiu. The name comes from its clear color. Because it is usually made from fermented sorghum, it is also known as white sorghum wine. Wheat, barley and glutinous rice are among the alternatives.

Although similar to other East Asian drinks, baijiu is much stronger and more similar to vodka. You’ll find baijiu sold in glass or ceramic bottles. And just like vodka, shot glasses are used for drinking.

Moutai is the most well-known brand of baijiu in China.

There are both flavored and unflavored baijiu. A popular unflavored drink is er guo tou. The most well-known flavored baijiu is probably Moutai. There are also two types of baijiu that play a significant role in Chinese New Year celebrations.

Tusu wine, a type of baijiu, was the nianjiu in ancient times. The name comes from the tusu style building it was created in. It’s also called suijiu.

Tusu wine ingredients can include cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, aconite, monkshood and other spices.

The story goes that every year, a man would give his neighbors a bag of the medicinal ingredients. He told them to soak it in water and drink it on New Year’s Day. They found that the water protected them from the plague.

What’s significant about tusu wine is the drinking order. According to Chinese customs, the eldest of the family must give their blessings and drink first. But with tusu wine, it’s the opposite. Children are allowed to go first.

According to a scholar from the Jin Dynasty (265-420), children grow one year older during the Spring Festival. It is something to celebrate. But there’s nothing celebrating about seniors losing one year.

Jiao wine adds flowers of Sichuan peppers and cypress tree leaves to baijiu. Like tusu, children are the first to drink jiao wine.

The beverage symbolizes peace, health and longevity. It is used as an offering to the ancestors. Parents also use jiao wine to give New Year blessings.

Drinking customs and etiquette

Do you know how to say cheers in Chinese? Gan bei.

But there is more to Chinese toasts than that. There are also more rules than just the aforementioned drinking order.

Toasting goes in order of rank and/or age. For extremely formal dinners, there’s even an emcee so everything can run smoothly.

When toasting, you should hold the glass with your right hand and support it with your left. While clinking glasses with someone higher than you in either aspect, make sure your glass is lower.

If you’re sitting too far away, raise the glass and tap it against the side of the table.

Even if you become slightly tipsy, you still need to pay attention to politeness and respect.

Drinking Games, When you drink with friends, you can definitely have fun. Chinese drinking games are separated into two: sophisticated and common.

Sophisticated games or ya ling, also known as word games or wen zi ling, these were loved by the nobles of ancient times. Basically, they would gather around and create poetry or tell riddles.

If someone couldn’t answer or come up with a line, they would drink as punishment.

Other times, wine was the reward. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty would order his officials to create poems. Each one must come up with a line containing seven words and each line had to rhyme.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be allowed a seat for the banquet. Many classic poems were written in this manner. You can have a try at these literary games too.

Common games are more lighthearted, but they get intense with drunken competitive folks. The most popular are hand gesture guessing games, such as rock, paper, scissors, it’s debated whether the game originated from China or Japan.

Usually, the Chinese would play something called hua quan. You can either put out a fist or a certain number of fingers. Who loses depends on the rules, which you can create yourself.

For some, you must call out the number as you put out your hand. If you’re right, then you win. For others, you have to try for an auspicious number, usually 6 or 8 and say a blessing to go along with it.

You can also have a mini tournament. Choose the best drinker out of your group as the king. He drinks first to announce the opening. Those who wish to challenge him will drink with him and then play the finger guessing game.

If the challenger wins, he takes the place as king. Dice guessing games, silent games, card games, spin-the-bottle, truth or dare and more are played as well.

More Beverages

Rice wine, red wine and foreign drinks are popular in China. For beer, you can always count on Tsingtao beer.

Tsingtao beer is a very popular brand, especially along the eastern coastal cities.

The country also contains 56 ethnicities, many of which are famous for drinking alcohol. Inner Mongolians love horse milk wine. Butter tea or su you cha, derived from milk, is commonly seen in Tibet.

After dinner, try a bowl of Xinjiang yoghurt or xin jiang suan nai to aid with digestion and make room for dessert.

The Yao ethnicity has a tradition of drinking New Year celebration wine or he nian jiu. In the last lunar month, every household gives 1 kilogram of grains to the leader of the community to make wine.

Couples who gave birth in the past year will bring their baby, as well as wine, tofu and pork around the community to give blessings.

China is the top producer of tea and has influenced the tea culture worldwide. But you won’t see it as often during the Spring Festival.

To brew and drink tea the traditional way, you must settle down and enjoy it. It’s not very suitable for revelries.

However, after New Year’s Day, you must start visiting your friends and neighbors. At this time, people will bring out their tea to treat their guests. In the lull between celebrations, you can rest with tea as well.

To lower cholesterol and aid in digestion after the feasts, try Pu’er tea or pu er cha. Green tea or lu cha and oolong tea wu long cha are great after eating greasy and oily food. And guess what? Tea is great for hangovers.

Other than drinks, Chinese New Year also offers a rich food culture. There’s great meaning behind the various dishes, desserts and snacks. Everything works together to express people’s wishes and blessings for the new spring and new year.

Chinese New Year Taboos

The Spring Festival is a time of celebration. It’s to welcome the new year with a smile and let the fortune and happiness continue on.

At the same time, the Spring Festival involves somber ceremonies to wish for a good harvest. Strict rules and restrictions go without saying.

To help you with that, here are the top 10 taboos during the Chinese New Year. Follow these and fortune will smile on you.

Do not say negative words

All words with negative connotations are forbidden! These include: death, sick, empty, pain, ghost, poor, break, kill and more.

The reason behind this should be obvious. You wouldn’t want to jinx yourself or bring those misfortunes onto you and your loved ones.

Do not break ceramics or glass

Breaking things will break your connection to prosperity and fortune. If a plate or bowl is dropped, immediately wrap it with red paper while murmuring auspicious phrases. Some would say sui sui píng an.

This asks for peace and security every year. sui is also a homophone which means broken or shattered. After the New Year, throw the wrapped up shards into a lake or river.

Do not clean or sweep

Before the Spring Festival, there is a day of cleaning. That is to sweep away the bad luck. But during the actual celebration, it becomes a taboo. Cleaning or throwing out garbage may sweep away good luck instead.

If you must, make sure to start at the outer edge of a room and sweep inwards. Bag up any garbage and throw it away after the 5th day. Similarly, you shouldn’t take a shower on Chinese New Year’s Day.

Do not use scissors, knives or other sharp objects

There are 2 reasons behind this rule. Scissors and needles shouldn’t be used. In olden times, this was to give women a well-deserved break.

Sharp objects in general will cut your stream of wealth and success. This is why 99% of hair salons are closed during the holidays. Hair cutting is taboo and forbidden until Lunar February 2, when all festivities are over.

Do not visit the wife’s family

Traditionally, multiple generations live together. The bride moves into the groom’s home after marriage. And, of course, she will celebrate Chinese New Year with her in-laws.

Returning to her parents on New Year’s Day means that there are marriage problems and may also bring bad luck to the entire family. The couple should visit the wife’s family on the 2nd day.

They’d bring their children, as well as a modest gift because it’s the thought that counts.

Do not demand debt repayment

This custom is a show of understanding. It allows everyone a chance to celebrate without worry. If you knock on someone’s door, demanding repayment, you’ll bring bad luck to both parties.

However, it’s fair game after the 5th day. Borrowing money is also taboo. You could end up having to borrow the entire year.

Avoid fighting and crying

Unless there is a special circumstance, try not to cry. But if a child cries, do not reprimand them. All issues should be solved peacefully.

In the past, neighbors would come over to play peacemaker for any arguments that occurred. This is all to ensure a smooth path in the new year.

Avoid taking medicine

Try not to take medicine during the Spring Festival to avoid being sick the entire year. Of course, if you are chronically ill or contract a sudden serious disease, immediate health should still come first.

Related taboos:< - Don’t visit the doctor - Don’t perform/undergo surgery - Don’t get shots Do not give New Year blessings to someone still in bed

You are supposed to give New Year blessings or bai nian. But let the recipient get up from bed first. Otherwise, they’ll be bed-ridden for the entire year. You also shouldn’t tell someone to wake up.

You don’t want them to be rushed around and bossed around for the year. Take advantage of this and sleep in.

Chinese gift-giving taboos

It was mentioned above that you should bring gifts when paying visits. It’s the thought that counts, but some gifts are forbidden.

Clocks are the worst gifts. Gifting clocks or song zhong is a homophone of paying one’s last respects. Splitting pears or fen li is also a homophone of separation.

Some regions have their own local taboos too. For example, in Mandarin, apple is pronounced ping guo. But in Shanghainese, it is bing1 gu, which sounds like passed away from sickness.

These don’t just apply to the Spring Festival, so keep it in the back of your mind.

For the Spring Festival, these rules may seem excessive. Especially when you add in the cultural norms, customs and manners. But like a parent would say, they are all for your own good.

Formed over thousands of years, these taboos embody the beliefs, wishes and worries of the Chinese people.



Tourism Observer