Red couplets, fireworks, feasts, and family reunions—Chunjie, or the Spring Festival, ushers in the new year on China’s traditional calendar with joy and the warmth of home. In late 2024, Chunjie was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, highlighting its deep roots in mythology, rituals, and traditions that stretch back thousands of years and continue to evolve today. As such, social transformation, cultural shifts, and generational divides also surface in a variety of holiday-related discussions and debates each year. Chunjie acts as a mirror reflecting China’s past, present, and future. From history and myths to featured reporting, personal accounts, photo stories, food, and language, dive into our holiday collection below to explore what keeps the Spring Festival alive.
Myths and History
Uncover the history of Chinese New Year, from the mythical beast Nian to the evolution of ancient traditions and legends
Nian: The Monster Behind Chinese New Year
The myth that inspired firecrackers and the color red for Chinese New Year
When Exactly was New Year in Ancient China?
The date and means of celebrating a new year changed and evolved over centuries in ancient China
How Did China End Up Celebrating Two New Years?
In the early 20th century, China tried to ban its millennia-old lunar calendar in the name of modernity—with mixed success
How the Lunar New Year Was Celebrated in Ancient Chinese Poetry
Changing depictions of the Lunar New Year in ancient Chinese poetry
Celebrating Chinese Little New Year
China’s Lunar New Year celebrations begin with rituals and offerings to the kitchen god
How Ancient Chinese Poets Celebrated the Lantern Festival
Five ancient poems that celebrate the first full moon of a new Lunar New Year
Spring Festival Today
Should holiday fireworks be banned for safety and environmental reasons? What is the annual migration like from the city to rural homes? Discover what the holiday means for everyday Chinese people.
Ban or Bang? China’s Fireworks Paradox
Why does the land that invented fireworks and firecrackers prohibit them in so many places?
Home Bound
Once a sacred family obligation, the annual migration home for Spring Festival increasingly brings feelings of alienation and culture shock for China’s urbanizing population
Pigs and Party Games: Celebrating Lunar New Year, Dongbei Style
Folk customs and culture of Northeast China during the Lunar New Year
How the TV Stole Spring Festival
First airing live in 1983, CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala didn’t just change TV—it changed the way China celebrates the Lunar New Year
Stories from China’s Spring Migration
Memories of homecoming and misadventure during China’s busiest travel season
Stories from China’s Spring Migration, Part 2
A boat trip gone awry and kindness from strangers: more reminisces from China’s busiest travel season
Food
Not just dumplings—explore the rich and diverse culinary traditions of the Lunar New Year throughout China
Give Me Anything But Dumplings this Lunar New Year
What other foods do Chinese eat during the Lunar New Year?
On a Spring Roll
Spring rolls are considered a classic Chinese food, but did you know they actually come in many varieties across the country?
What’s for Dinner: Diverse New Year ‘Reunion Meals’ Around China
Many Chinese New Year traditions revolve around a family dinner, but what’s on the table varies greatly from region to region
Batter with Rice: Everything You Need to Know About Yuanxiao
More than just a Lantern Festival snack, glutinous rice balls have many regional variations and modern spins
Laba: Not Just Porridge
Buddhist worship, court cooking ceremonies, and other festivities for the eighth day of the 12th lunar month
Chinese New Year Language Guide
Check out our holiday language guide, from dodging nosy marriage questions to planning post-holiday weight loss, along with key Chinese idioms and phrases
The pressure to marry and have children is one of the most common sources of conflict, especially for women, during family gatherings
Learn how Chinese netizens navigated the Chinese Lunar New Year >
“Falling leaves return to the roots,” or all things go back to their source eventually
The CCTV Spring Festival Gala is the state media’s annual celebration of the Lunar New Year and an enduring Spring Festival tradition for the nation
“Years flowing like water” is an idiom equivalent to “time flies”—it describes a period of great enjoyment that passes quickly, like flowing water
“New year, new atmosphere. I will start exercising.”
More than Chunjie
As a multi-ethnic nation, China celebrates not only the Lunar New Year but also many other New Years. Explore the unique traditions and customs of ethnic minority New Years.
Celebrate the Hani New Year with the World’s Longest Feast
Despite being a relatively new tradition, Lüchun’s Long Street Banquet has, in just 20 years, attracted world-record numbers of tourists and become a major event on the Hani ethnic calendar
Tsampa Fights and Surprises: The Evolving Fortunes of Tibetan New Year
Two young Tibetans recall how the festivities of Losar, the traditional New Year on the Plateau, have changed and stayed the same since their childhood
Yak of All Trades: Tibetan New Year with Herders on the Plateau
A New Year celebration on the plateau showcases modern Tibetan herding culture