Discover China

When I visited Beijing in January the city had been experiencing a long period of very dry weather, and at that time there had been no snow despite sub-zero temperatures. Snow finally fell on 10 February, breaking the longest snow-free winter for 60 years. Beijing woke up to white on Saturday as snow fell for the third time this year. Despite being bigger than the previous snowfalls, the accumulated depth is still smaller. Find out more in the CNTV news item Beijing sees biggest snow this year.

On Thursday people across China celebrated the Lantern Festival. Falling on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year, the festival takes place under a full moon and marks the end of Chinese new year festivities. Find out more in the CNTV News item China celebrates Lantern Festival.

A ceremony to inaugurate the Year of Chinese Culture in Australia was held in Canberra on Thursday. It’s the second phase of cultural exchange activities between the two countries and will officially begin in June. Find out more in the CNTV News item Year of Chinese Culture inaugurated in Australia.

With its long history spanning thousands of years, diverse culture and culinary delights, China is now the world’s third-most popular holiday destination. In the news item China attracts more foreign travellers CNTV reports that China saw over 55 million tourist arrivals last year, marking a 10 percent increase, and China’s tourism industry officials are optimistic the flow of foreign visitors will only increase. From My China Trips I completely agree – it’s a great destination not just for for your next holiday, but many more to come!

Events are being held across China to mark the fifth day of the Lunar New Year – or “Po Wu” as it’s known in Chinese. A big part of ” Po Wu” is getting up early to clean houses and also to eat dumplings. To find out more see the CNTV news item Events held across China to mark “Po Wu”.