China saw in its New Year on Saturday -- the year of the sheep, according to the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Despite the fact that 2002, the year of the swift horse, has given way to 2003, the year of the slower sheep, 2003 is expected to be a year of changes and progress for the country.
Xie Yujian, a resident of Nanning City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, left Friday for the neighboring province of Guizhou.
However, he was not traveling by train nor by plane. He was driving. "This Spring Festival is quite special to me because I just bought this new car," he said.
Xie is certainly not the only one celebrating. More than 3.24 million cars were sold in China in 2002, 70 percent of which were purchased by individuals. China also built 4,000 kilometers of expressways, linking over 90 percent of its big cities.
Travel is not reserved for the young. Chen Mingguang, who had just celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary, chose to spend this year's Spring Festival on Hainan Island, the southernmost province of China.
"It's so beautiful," Chen said, "we feel young again."
For Wei Changhui, of the Zhuang ethnic minority, China's largest, traveling during Spring Festival represented a break with tradition. Zhuang people traditionally spend the festival at home.
"My family, six people all together, is heading for Mount Huangshan in east China's Anhui Province," he said, adding that the family was earning more money and could thus afford the trip.
In Beijing, musical groups from more than 10 countries, including Britain, Germany, Russia and Columbia, are making the traditional festival temple fair a "Sino-foreign joint venture". Turkish roast meat and German roast pig were a welcome addition to the traditional Chinese snacks.
Zuo Yukun, 12, spent the first day of Spring Festival in a children's reading club in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province. He has attended the English learning and thinking ability training courses given by the club for quite some time.
"My English has improved quite a bit," said the boy proudly. He was selected by the club as a good reader and learner -- a special gift for the Chinese lunar New Year.
In northeast China's Dalian City, people were heading for bookstores and libraries. Wang Shi, a four-year college student, said that the Spring Festival celebrations should not be limited to feasts. "Yes, we still eat dumplings, but I also like to read," he said.
Dalian Library has been open to the public during the Spring Festival for years. Librarians say they have seen an increasing number of people coming to the library during the festival.
Although Tibetan New Year falls in March, Tibetans greeted their friends from the Han ethnic group, China's majority ethnic group, with enthusiasm.
Cering Norgyai sang a Tibetan toast song and drank a big bowl of highland barley wine with Duan Bangfu. With Duan's help, CeringNorgyai learned to plant Chinese spring onions in his greenhouse.
"I feel very grateful," he said, "Today is the traditional New Year for him, and for me, too. We have already treated each other like brothers."
(Xinhua News Agency, February 2, 2003)
