From the heart of Beijing to the edges of the global stage, you're at Roundtable.
I'm Niu Honglin.
Festivals are often described as windows into a society's values and trends.
In China, few moments reveal more than the spring festival, particularly from the second day of the Lunar New Year onward, when private rituals give way to public celebrations.
From welcoming the son-in-law to worshipping the god of wealth.
These customs once reflected an agrarian world structured around kinship and survival.
Today, they coexist with shopping malls, live-streamed temple fairs, and global audiences.
What happens when inherited tradition meets urbanization, technology, and globalization?
What are the trendy entertainment choices for the Spring Festival today?
For this show, I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yang Yang.
Now pull up a chair and join the conversation.
Step outside during the Spring Festival today and you might find yourself at a temple fair inside an amusement park, a fashion-forward lantern show in Shanghai's Commercial District or a Chinatown celebration in Lima or Budapest.
What was once centered on ritual obligation now doubles as urban leisure, tourism and cultural branding.
Yes, we are using temple fair as an example, because that's something that has been embedded in tradition for quite a long time, but also celebrated and done differently today.
But that is also something that we started doing on the second day of the spring festival period.
So the spring festival, for example, the spring festival eve is the one day that you stay up late.
You prepare for the major things happening in the festival.
And then the first day is more about family union, family get it together.
And I think it's because it's too important.
We usually don't visit families, friends or relatively more distant family on the very first day, but starting from the second day, which is when the show is aired, we would be able to do all sorts of things.
Yeah, i think i get it, because the first, the beginning of the holiday, it's about spending time at home with your family and eating together and talking together.
And then after that the door is kind of open and you go out into the world and have some fun and look around and do some stuff.
But traditionally, it opened to the extended family first, isn't it?
Yes.
Well, day two is very special because it highlights our returning to the parental home.
Yes.
Yes.
And the most widely recognized tradition is married daughters returning to their parents' home.
And they're not come alone.
They often come with their husbands, their children.
Bring the family.
Yeah, so this state is also known as Ying Xu Day, as Ying is welcome and Xu is son-in-law, so literally, welcome the son-in-law.
Is that the tradition for your family, Yang Yang?
Because when I was little I would definitely go to my mom's home, in the sense that my grandparents from my mom's side
But we don't do it on the second day.
We do it on the third day so that the entire family can gather together, meaning that both the son and the daughter's family would be together, reunion together.
And I think that's because at my generation, at my time, it's no longer that rigid.
But definitely in ancient days it's that the daughter of the family would bring the entire family to her home which, if you really think about it, it means the son of the family would go to their wife's homes to celebrate.
So it's not the entire family.
That's kind of surprising.
I thought it would be maybe both families on the same day, but then i thought a little more and yeah, Maybe you don't live in the same area, so it's hard to do that.
So I think the tradition has already evolved in my generation.
We would not very rigidly pick the second day of the year, but every family would arrange it in different ways so that everyone can gather together at the same day.
How is it in your family, Yangyang?
Well, my family is a little bit like.
It's pretty much similar, but the only difference is that my mom's house, or my mom's home, is just in the vicinity of my dad's home.
So it's not that, yeah, not much traveling.
Oh, cool.
That's nice.
They walk down the street.
Yeah, so we can achieve the situation where...
We visit two homes in one day.
Same day.
That's smart too.
Just look out the window and wave.
Or rather convenient.
And traditionally we would even we're visiting our parents' home.
We would bring a lot of gifts, different types of gifts.
Yeah, well, we often bring gifts and often they're in even numbers symbolizing harmony.
Yes, in traditional Chinese culture.
And we also give small red envelopes to children in the parental household.
And yes, and for large families, I think the feast and group photos will be anticipated as well.
Why do the gifts need to be in even numbers?
You said it symbolizes harmony.
What's behind that?
Yeah, well, maybe it's like two is better than one.
And one symbolized like... But three is better than two.
It's not a more the merrier situation.
Number-wise, yes, three is better.
But in Chinese traditional culture, even numbers represents that something is evenly distributed.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, not like one side gets the similar amount of the others.
Understood.
Yeah.
So it doesn't matter if it's two or four or six or eight.
Both sides are going to be getting the same amount.
I have to say the traditions could be different in different places.
For example, for my hometown.
We regard three, six, nine, these three numbers as more auspicious numbers.
And that is why, when one family is picking a day for a marriage, they would pick these three numbers.
Oh, like the third day of the month or even the 16th day of the month?
Yes.
So it's different.
But I guess the idea is that it doesn't matter which number we're talking about, but it's more about different traditions.
And it's always, always about lucky, auspicious and good luck.
Yes.
And besides that, there are also traditions related to what to eat.
We already mentioned in previous shows that dumplings would be very important for the Spring Festival Day or the major dinner in Spring Festival Eve.
But I don't know about you, Yang Yang.
I live in the northern part of the country, and we have the saying of...
We should be having dumplings on the first day and having noodle for the second day.
I never understood the background or the connotation behind that.
Yeah well, in mainly northern regions of China there is a tradition of having noodles with.
The same goes like dumplings on day one and noodles on day two.
And it's not normal noodles.
It is called cold noodles.
Oh, really?
Yes, that's because the flour comes from the leftover dumpling dough from day one.
And after noodles are cooked, they will be rinsed thoroughly in cold water until completely cool.
Hence the name cold noodles.
So what do you eat them with?
Is there a special sauce or some vegetables on top?
How does that go?
What's the recipe?
Well, I think it's just like you eat it plainly.
You just have the noodles because, well, this is very interesting.
People believe that, after having noodles feast on New Year's Eve and day one, the cold noodles remind people that every meal is precious.
It symbolizes appreciating what you have and experiencing the ups and downs of life, even in a festive season.
So eating this noodle is believed to help ensure a smooth, prosperous year ahead.
Like its shape and how it's tasted, long and smooth.
So the noodle, one noodle represents the ups and downs of the year.
Not my family.
No?
No. not in my family.
We never had cold noodle for the second day, but we do have noodles on the second day.
So I guess yes, throughout time tradition would evolve and change a little bit in different families.
But one thing that we do on the second day or the third day or the following days of the spring festival is that we would worship different gods responsible for different matter in life here in China on different days.
So for those of you who are not familiar with the God related system here in China to start with, it's not something that serious.
It's not religious.
It's not that we really seriously believe there's a kitchen God in the kitchen.
If you do not respect the kitchen God, you cannot cook well.
It's not like that.
It's more like But there is a kitchen god.
But there is a kitchen god.
It's more like in different aspects of life.
There is someone living in heaven, perhaps responsible for that.
They're very diligent heavenly officials who are responsible for different things.
So there's the worship of the kitchen god.
There's the worship of the wealth-related god.
And I think the wealth-related god is usually worshipped on the second day.
Yes well, among all New Year rituals, worshipping the god of wealth is one of the most prominent, I would say.
It reflects how strongly people hope for financial success in the coming year.
Yeah, and the Chinese god of wealth comes from folk belief rather than a single religion.
So, over time, different historical figures associated with fairness, success or good fortune were gradually merged into what people now call the god of wealth.
So the idea was simple to personify the hope for prosperity, protection and a better life in the new year.
But it's more for fun.
Actually, the business side of the Spring Festival is catching up with that, too.
Because we talked about it on Roundtable, I believe, when we said that the god of wealth now is being seen in a lot of kind of plushy toys souvenirs, drink cups, things like that, maybe bubble tea cups.
Just the designs are everywhere these days.
Yes, and they're cute.
They're too cute to be viewed as a... serious government or heavenly government official.
They're lovely.
And once you've done visiting the extended family or the family in-law and you've done your whatever form of worshiping of the god of wealth, you started to go on the streets and enjoy some other type of fun.
Yes, I'm talking about the temple fair.
Because I think nowadays, the temple fairs are more like pop up markets with a specific theme.
But in ancient days, it was much more serious, isn't it?
Yes.
Well, in ancient days, temple fairs were not about leisure at all.
They grew out of ancient rituals centered on ancestor worship and the worship of natural gods.
In early agrarian society, these gatherings were closely tied to survival.
People came to pray for good harvest, protection from disasters and stability for their families and communities.
So the temple was a secret place and the fair around it was an extension of that seriousness.
I wonder what it became more of a casual type thing that it is today, right?
Today, it's more relaxed.
It's much, much more about enjoying yourself.
There's an older amusement park that's not too far away from here on the west side of Beijing called, And they're turning their amusement park into kind of a full-on temple fair playground, which is kind of cool.
So they're going to have folk performances and lantern shows and light installations and street food.
And they'll have some hands-on activities for the kids and stuff like that.
You can wander around and have a really great day.
They're going to be about 100 performers there.
And this is really cool.
They're going to have carnival troops from Belt and Road countries.
So Argentina's going to have some troops there.
Russia's going to have some troops there.
They'll be up on the stage showcasing like...
Russian folk dances.
So funny.
I wonder if they're going to do the one.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
Where they bounce down near the ground, they bend their legs really low and then they bounce up and kick a leg out and then immediately bounce down again.
Probably.
When they do that in the traditional costume, it looks really fun.
It does look like it's really hard on your knees, too.
But they're going to have that.
So just from that description alone you can hear that it's a really fun, almost like a theme park kind of day.
So yeah, I wonder when things transitioned over to less of what Yang Yang was talking about, where it was really quite formal and serious, to the, to the fun style that they have today.
It at least dates back to the hen dynasty, like 202 bc to 220 ad.
Right, that's longer than i would have expected.
Yes,
Well, from that time onward, temple fairs became more visible during those dynasties and temple fairs began to change to what temple fair is right now.
So religious rituals were still important, but they were no longer the whole story.
Performances possessions, street entertainment and small-scale trade gradually moved into temple grounds and surrounding areas.
And by the Qing Dynasty.
Historical records describe temple fairs as bustling public scenes where officials merchants, monks and ordinary people all mingled.
Faiths commerce, entertainment blended together, turning temple fairs into something closer to a folk carnival than a purely religious event.
It makes sense because during ancient days the villages are relatively scattered in the country around the country.
There were no very populated villages or towns at that time, meaning that if you want to trade, you need to go to a place.
Everybody would go to that place on the same day so they can trade their commodities, no matter if you're raising sheep or if you're raising chicken or you're a farmer.
Yes, it's like a collective market and you don't really need to do that every single day.
So it's like on selected dates of a month, people would gather together.
Where would they gather?
They gather at a place with a little bit significance and it's easier to communicate, to talk to each other where the market is going to be.
And a temple is usually with a good location so that nearby villagers would go gather, and it slowly formed into a tradition.
So it started as a market and later on Free performances.
Certain kind of activities and fun leisure, fun entertainment can happen in the market, just like a pop-up market.
I guess it depends on where you are in the country, because they'll take advantage of what that place represents.
I'm thinking of Shanghai when I say that.
Because they're going to have, or they have, labubus dressed up in some festive outfits.
No way!
Yeah, so you can take some pictures with the labubus.
There's also a commercial area where Spring Festival kind of went into full fashion mode.
And that's what I meant when I said take advantage of what you're known for.
Because Shanghai is known for its fashion, right?
So they're doing that there.
They're having light shows.
They're having East meets West.
Music, some pop-up workshops, creative markets, lots to eat, lots to walk around and see.
And then in Fuxing Park, which is one of the famous places to hang out in Shanghai.
You can walk around in the Sea of Tulips and you can find yourself some great spots to take some really, really beautiful pictures.
So depending on where you are, there's going to be something to do for sure.
Even if you're not inside China, you can still enjoy it. different types of tempo affairs, right?
Yes, well, the temple fairs are in full swing around the world, I would say.
For example, take Budapest, for instance.
Over the weekend, the Happy Chinese New Year Temple Fair turned Chinatown into the liveliest spot in the city.
Cool!
Yeah, and this is already the fourth year they've held it there.
And what's interesting is that most of the crowd wasn't Chinese, it was locals.
People lined up for fermented rice bowls, sweet noodles, mouth-watering chickens, drone dumplings.
Where did the Chinese people go?
Well, they were already in Paris.
They were doing business in the Chinatown serving those like fermented rice bowls.
Yes.
Basically, there was a food stall.
There was a queue.
And this year, they even recreated an old Chengdu tea house on stage.
Oh, that's cool.
Yes, and visitors can watch lawn-sprout cattle swim through the air.
Try their hand at sugar-pinting.
Galloping horses for the yurt of the horse were a favorite, and some ended up practicing Tai Chi on the spot.
You can also spot Hen Fu and see the ass walking through the crowd, turning the streets itself into part of the show.
Did i ever?
I don't think i told you this nyonglin, my first chinese new year is not in china was not in china and it was also 25 years ago.
Wow, where was it?
Bangkok, in thailand.
And when we went there we didn't realize it was chinese new year, but it was.
And then we stumbled.
We were just looking around the city and we stumbled upon chinatown.
So we were in chinatown in bangkok for chinese new year.
What a great time we had.
Oh, they had these artistic performances.
They had um, i don't know the name, i apologize, but where you have the um, The thin, not clear papers, but they're white papers and you can see through them and they do the puppet shows.
Oh, yes.
Do you know the name for that?
皮影戏, skin shadow show.
Yeah, okay, the skin shadow show.
So you saw some of that.
They had the dragon dances and stuff.
It was a really cool experience.
I think that would be similar to a lot of non-Chinese, especially outside of China.
They would experience Chinese culture for the first time because of the local celebration of Spring Festival.
Because it is usually Spring Festival, which is the most, one of the most, well ditch that, just the most important festival in China for Chinese people.
At that time it would be this It's similar to a temple fair kind of celebration, but the idea is that they would include a lot of intangible cultural heritage item, a lot of tradition and fun entertainment from different parts of the country.
Even from different ethnic groups.
You mentioned the Piyinxi, the skin shadow, kind of show, kind of opera, almost.
And there are other ones, like ancient Chinese games that have been popular for hundreds of years, including touhu, meaning that you throw something an arrow or some other things into a pot from afar.
Traditional games.
Traditional games to win over a certain prize.
And because Spring Festival is really also close to Lantern Festival, so lantern appreciation is sometimes included in these kind of celebrations as well, which again also a traditional entertainment form.
I'm not surprised that in Budapest, for example, and it's not just Budapest.
I mean we could name 100 places around the world, or more, that celebrate Chinese New Year in one way or another.
But I'm not surprised, Yang Yang, that you said that it's mostly local people who are there, because it's so far outside of the local culture depending on which country you're in, of course, but it's so far outside of the local culture that it's a great opportunity to learn.
It's a great opportunity to see some performances, in terms of art, that you would never get to see.
Eat some foods that you might never get to eat.
So I'm not surprised at all why that is such a popular hot ticket item to go to.
Do you know the hot hashtag these days online, becoming Chinese?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And many people would refer that to drinking hot water or trying acupuncture for the first time, something like that.
But now, because it's during the spring festival period, a lot of people are also talking about oh, let's celebrate Chinese New Year.
We do not know the whole thing, but we can pick one tradition or one entertainment activity and see if we like it.
And we can do it in the temple fair in the chinatown that we live nearby, which explains how come you don't see a lot of chinese in the spring festival temple fair locally.
But besides that, i'm curious because there are so many activities from ancient days till today that you can enjoy during spring festival period, because This is winter days.
So one tradition that has been seeing its revival almost during these days is ice and snow related activities.
We already talked about ice and snow sports are very, very popular here in China, especially after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
A lot of people started to realize that they can enjoy snow sports, ice sports a lot.
But that tradition actually has been, at least in the northern part of the country, for a really long time.
So I was wondering, Yangyang have you ever enjoyed a, For example, ice skating in Beijing in a park or in your hometown during especially spring festival period of time?
Well, I'd love to, but to be honest, I've never been just yet.
Yeah, I haven't tried it yet because I'm a little bit scared of cold weather.
Oh, what a shame.
I thought you were going to say scared of skating or scared of snowboarding also, that you're just afraid of the air temperature.
That also because a lot of my friends try like skating or skiing and they got hurt, they break some bones, so i was also scared of that.
Oh, what a shame, because here in beijing, ever since At least in Qing Dynasty, they would organize the royal soldiers, because instead of fighting in a war they would start a sports game on ice.
I don't think it's ice hockey.
It's more like ice soccer.
So ice related ball game and in Beijing and because during winter days.
During spring festival period of time, it's very cold and a lot of lakes in Beijing are, you know, in the form of ice and you can use it as a venue or arena playing ice ball.
And in really good days, it can be more than 1,500 players on ice.
I was looking.
One of our coworkers from a different department took his children to a lake.
I forget the name of the lake here in Beijing.
It's a huge place, and he tried skating for the first time. with his kids, and he had a great time.
It was right in the middle of the city, this huge lake, not too many people there.
Yangyang, I'm sorry that your friends broke their bones the first time they tried, but it doesn't happen to everybody, so get out there and give it a shot.
Yeah, now I know my New Year resolution, be brave.
And we mentioned that on temple fairs, you get to enjoy a lot of performances and fun activities.
But in ancient days, when we didn't used to have spring festival gala or a TV or a phone that you can stare at all the time.
Don't do that during spring festival time.
Have some fun with your family.
But at those times, I think theater took off in certain period in history.
That's interesting something that people would love to do during their spring festival holidays as well.
In different theaters they can enjoy different opera, and that slowly transformed into movie theaters in modern day China.
So going to movies would be a popular choice for many people as a way to spend their spring festival period.
And now we talked about having our phone with us.
So a lot of activities are also happening online.
You can gather together with your friends and play video games together, play mobile game together and also gather together to those you know young, trendy places to play some room escape games.
Kind activity.
It's pronounced kind yen, right?
The opening of the year.
So get out there and have some fun, no matter how you do it.
Yes, especially for those who are already enjoying your holiday in a different location.
Yes, I'm talking about traveling to spend your spring festival.
That happens too.
So it's the second day of the spring festival holiday.
And for those of you who are listening, please let us know how are you spending your spring festival holiday.
Let us know which is your favorite leisure time activity during the holiday.
