Discover China

Tonight, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and the last day of the Spring Festival, is China’s traditional Lantern Festival. And the festive atmosphere is building right now, with lanterns and firecrackers lighting up the night skies in an incredible spectacle. The CNTV story Lanterns light up the night across China introduces the different ways in which the Lantern Festival is celebrated in different parts of the country.

The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, which marks the start of a new year on the lunar calendar. This year the Lunar New Year day was 23 January, and introduced the Year of the Dragon. Find out more in the CNTV Special Feature 2012 Spring Festival which includes online videos of the spectacular Spring Festival Gala.

Happy New Year from discoverchina.info!

Once again I have the privilege of  experiencing Lunar New Year and the Chinese Spring festival in China, this time in Shenzhen. The New Year was welcomed last night with the annual New Year Gala which has a massive nation-wide audience. You can watch video from the spectacular gala on the CCTV website.

Shenzhen saw a spectacular fireworks display at midnight, and city streets, shops and buildings are adorned with lanterns and other New Year decorations (as shown at left).