Hundreds of millions of people across Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families on Wednesday, as they bid farewell to the Year of the Dragon and usher in the Year of the Snake.
The Lunar New Year typically provides a significant boost to the Chinese economy, with increased spending in sectors like retail, entertainment, and dining. Authorities have extended the official holiday period to eight days, aiming to encourage consumer spending and bolster the sluggish economy.
The annual television extravaganza, which is tightly scripted to highlight Beijing’s priorities, rarely features American performers.
As Lunar New Year approaches, the once-endangered folk tradition of stilt walking is undergoing something of a revival in China — with Beijing’s encouragement.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping struck a bullish tone during a speech on Monday ahead of Lunar New Year, after acknowledging "complex and severe situations" in recent months. "Over the past year, in the face of complex and severe situations,
For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, and it’s celebrated widely in Taiwan and across Southeast Asia in countries with large Chinese populations, such as Singapore and Malaysia. In Korea,
Travellers thronged railway stations and airports on Friday, clutching large suitcases and gifts such as boxes of fruit as they joined millions of Chinese returning to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year festival with family.
China remains ‘key engine’ of global growth and will push ahead with reforms and guard against ‘external shocks’, leader says.
Lunar New Year is celebrated, first of all, by plenty of ethnically Chinese people who have no truck with the CCP and no loyalty to the contemporary Chinese state — across China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and beyond.
A boy jumps to touch red lanterns hung on trees at the Ditan Park ahead of Lunar New Year in Beijing on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) People offer prayers at the Baiyun Taoist Temple ahead of the Lunar New Year in Beijing,