In keeping with tradition, most people in this age group return to their hometowns for the holiday. The long lines at train and bus termini attest to the importance the Chinese place on the familial aspects of the Lunar New Year. That the individuals interviewed below opted to remain in Shanghai during Spring Festival is exceptional.
Zhou Jing, female, 19, soldier, from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province
Zhou joined the army last December, and as per army rules, she does not have holidays during the first two years of the service. This means that for the first time in her life, she will spent this in-coming Spring Festival away from home. ``I am looking forward to New Year's Eve,'' says Zhou wistfully, ``because that is the only time we are allowed to call home. Training here is very tough, and I miss my parents very much. If I were home, I'd have New Year's Eve dinner with my family, and celebrate the happy festival by lighting firecrackers and going shopping.'' Instead, Zhou will have a hearty dinner in the army mess and then call her parents to ``wish them health and happiness every day of the new year.'' Wu Bin, 22, male, a senior at the Shanghai International Studies University, from Hebei Province
Wu usually heads back to Hebei at the beginning of winter vacation to spend Spring Festival at home, but this year will be different: he will spend the holidays in Shanghai looking for a job.
``Although I'm a business management major, I love writing and want to become a journalist. So I plan to intern at a newspaper during my winter vacation,'' says Wu. ``I don't pay all that much attention to the Spring Festival anyway, which is just eating and visiting relatives. But I do treasure the time with my parents. Frankly speaking, I feel really sorry that I can't be with them this festival.'' Wu says that he'll spend Spring Festival strolling the streets with a university friend, and take short trips to Wuxi and Hangzhou. Zhang Shijin, 22, hairdresser, Shanghai Wenfeng Cosmetology Group, from Lishui, Zhejiang Province
Zhang left his hometown five years ago and hasn't been home for Spring Festival for several years.
Part of the reason is his business: ``Spring Festival and other holidays are the busiest seasons for beauty salons. Thus, we would rather stay in Shanghai to make more money -- the boss doesn't want us to leave at this time,'' says Zhang. Zhang's boss will treat his staff, mostly out-of-towners, to ``nianyefan'' -- the New Year Eve dinner. ``I miss my family most when I hear the bang of firecrackers -- who wouldn't want to go home and celebrate with their parents?'' Zhang says. Chen Xiangmei, 23, job seeker, from Nanning of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Chen has just been in Shanghai for three months and is still looking for a job, but she will stay in the city to see how Shanghainese celebrate the holiday. Chen and two other girls, also from out of town, share an apartment and all will stay in town for the holiday and have ``nianyefan'' together. Actually, Chen has been away from home for several Spring Festivals. ``I used to be a tour guide and enjoy travelling during the holidays,'' says Chen. ``Sometimes I find it rather boring to celebrate Spring Festival, just eating ``nianyefan,'' playing mahjong and cards -- where's the fun in that?'' Chen does admit that she enjoyed the holiday as a child, when she received a small fortune in ``yasui'' money from her elders. Li Jin, 25, graphic designer, free-lancer, from Jilin Province
``Since I could only be at home for a few days, this year I won't be going back home for Spring Festival,'' says Li. Rather than making the long journey home, Li confesses that he would rather spend the time working in Shanghai.
Happily, his mother came to visit him last year. Yet as a northerner, he says that he regrets Shanghai's modernity, and misses the traditional festive ambience of northern China. ``On the Chinese New Year's Eve, I will make and eat `jiaozi' dumplings, the traditional northern New Year's Eve food with people from my hometown who also work in Shanghai,'' says Li. Xie Huayang, male, 30, lawyer, from Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
Xie came to work in Shanghai last February with his Shanghainese wife. ``I have spent the past 29 Spring Festivals with my traditional, warm family and this year I want to have a change. I'd like to taste the feeling of spending the festival in another city,'' says Xie. On New Year's Eve, Xie will attend the reunion dinner at his wife's home in Shanghai and then spend the rest of the evening with 10 friends on a boat on the Huangpu River. On the second day of the new year, Xie and his wife will travel to Hainan Island.
( eastday.com February 9, 2002)
