February 18, 2015

CCTV Spring Festival Gala

In the lead up to the big night of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, organizers have been busying day and night to get things ready. CCTV’s Wu Guoxiu reported this story from Beijing.

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February 17, 2015

A Chinese New Year tradition goes digital for millions

Traditional Chinese red envelopes are a treasured feature of Chinese New Year. They’re given as gifts and filled with money. The practice is now going online and for the companies Tencent and Alibaba, the digital idea is the next big battleground for online payments. CCTV’s […]

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February 17, 2015

China’s cities see mass exodus for New Year

Beijing’s population of roughly 22 million is now significantly smaller, as millions of migrant workers head home for the Spring Festival. While many businesses and shops have shut for the next few weeks, many residents are enjoying the emptiness of the usually bustling Chinese capital. […]

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February 15, 2015

Chinese couples shun ‘Sheep year babies’

Chinese people around the world are gearing-up this week to usher in the year of the sheep. Preparations for celebrations are under way across China. But, while celebrating the new year, some parents-to-be are having second thoughts. CCTV’s Li Nan reported this story from Shanghai.

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February 12, 2015

Traditional Chinese New Year Customs

Feb. 18 marks the start of the Chinese New Year and kicks off two weeks of celebrations, eating, and spending time with loved ones — making it the longest holiday in China. Here are some of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions, and how […]

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February 11, 2015

In the kitchen: How to make 5 lucky Chinese New Year dishes

From lucky numbers to lucky colors, lucky dates to lucky sayings, Chinese people are all about that “luck”. Certain dishes are eaten during the Chinese New Year because the Chinese believe those dishes will bring good luck to the whole year. The auspicious symbolism of […]

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February 11, 2015

Photo Gallery: Chinese zodiac coins

Every Lunar New Year, the People’s Bank of China (PBC) releases a zodiac gold coin. In Chinese astrology theory, the calendar has a 12-year cycle, and each year is represented by an animal, beginning with the Year of Goat and ending with the Year of […]

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February 10, 2015

2015: The year of the ram (or sheep? or goat?)

You may have seen that 2015 is the Year of the Sheep. But also , the Ram, or the Goat? The answer is a bit complicated because it depends on how the word for the animal is translated from the Chinese language into English.

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February 5, 2015

Five Chinese idioms about sheep

Mandarin Chinese idioms are vital to Chinese writing and to the speaking of Mandarin. As the Chinese New Year is approaching, here are some highly useful idioms that you can learn for this Chinese New Year of Sheep.

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Ratings high for CCTV Spring Festival Gala
February 5, 2015

Ratings high for CCTV Spring Festival Gala

The audience ratings of CCTV Spring Festival Gala, or Chunwan in Chinese, have stayed above 30 percent for years, according to the deputy managing director of CSM media research on the 2015 CCTV Chunwan News Briefing on Monday.

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Tips for foreigners during Chinese New Year
January 27, 2015

Tips for tourists during Chinese New Year

It’s the most anticipated time of the year in China, but for foreigners or travelers new to the country, the Chinese Spring Festival period can be a little bewildering. For anyone left scratching their heads over this wonderful but hectic period, we asked our CCTV […]

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