Latest news with #LunarNewYear'sEve
South China Morning Post
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Lunar New Year gala honours American who ‘showed kindness to Chinese people'
Published: 10:00pm, 30 Jan 2025 China's ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has praised an American who appeared on the televised Lunar New Year's Eve gala as proof of the kindness that exists between the two peoples. Evan Kail, a pawn shop owner from Minneapolis, donated an album of photographs that depicted a series of wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese, including the 1937 Nanking massacre . After his appearance on Tuesday night's show, Xie posted on social media: 'It's great to see Evan, the American who donated a precious WWII photo album to China, at our national Spring Festival Gala this year! 'Whoever shows kindness to the Chinese people will always be reciprocated with kindness. Evan, you now have 1.4 billion Chinese friends!' The annual variety show, known as Chunwan , has become a key element of the nation's Lunar New Year celebrations for many in China since it first aired in 1983. Kail's appearance on Tuesday night's show was Beijing's latest effort to promote personal exchanges with the US despite competition with Washington.
Voice of America
28-01-2025
- Business
- Voice of America
China sees boom in feasts for pets on Lunar New Year's Eve
As pet parents in China usher in the Year of the Snake and host Lunar New Year's Eve dinners with their loved ones, some are also making sure that their fur babies, or 'mao hai zi,' are not left out. Over the past month, a growing number of consumers have been ordering pet-friendly versions of the traditional New Year's Eve reunion dinner, ranging from freshly made meals to gift boxes of dried food. A search for 'dogs' and cats' Lunar New Year's Eve dinner' on Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok and the most popular short-video app in China, lists dozens of choices. 'Lucky' dumplings Some vendors even tout traditional Chinese delicacy dishes such as 'Buddha jumps over the wall,' which includes seafood and meats, and 'eight treasures duck rice' in addition to common ones such 'lucky' dumplings and rice cake, adapted for dog palates. The prices range from 19.9 to 168 yuan ($2.8 to $24) per set. One vendor on Douyin, LAOTOU Pet Bakery, told VOA in a written reply Monday that it sold out of the special holiday pet meals more than a week before the Lunar New Year, which starts on Wednesday this year. Lou Yu, vice president of Favor Pets Company in Beijing, also that the pet service firm has seen a boom year in holiday sales of pet food. Business peaked during the Dragon Boat Festival in June, Mid-Autumn Festival in September and the Christmas holidays in December, when, respectively, rice dumplings, moon cakes and special Christmas treats were offered for pets, he said. Booming holiday sales 'For [pets'] reunion dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve, we've probably seen a 45% to 50% growth in sales this year, compared to a year ago, when sales were still tepid,' Lou told VOA by phone on Monday. The company ran out of stock before the eight-day-long holiday began this week as a growing number of owners splurge on their pets. Festive Fido and feline food have become an emerging and 'under-supplied' niche market that is bucking the trend despite China's economic slowdown. China's 'cat and dog parents' total more than 120 million, more than double from a decade ago, according to Lou. Last year, there were some 9.54 million babies born in China. Pets are expected to outnumber children under 4 years of age by a ratio of 2 to 1 by 2030 — a shift that will likely create a substantial $12 billion market for pet food in China, U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs forecasted in a report late last year. Authorities in China ended the country's one-child policy in 2016 and started encouraging young couples to have three children in 2021 as the country's population ages and the number of newborns declines. Pets over kids By contrast, many couples who find it too expensive to raise children are instead choosing pets over kids. On Saturday, 11 dogs were treated with plates of shredded chicken and lettuce — a special Lunar New Year meal — in a Shanghai restaurant. Their owners were all female. "He's my soulmate! He gives me a lot of emotional support … and he's a good friend that I'd like to be with and enjoy the New Year atmosphere together," attendee Momo Ni told Reuters news agency, referring to her border collie, Yakult. Daisy Xu, another 28-year-old owner, said her dog, named Niu Niu, is already a beloved member of the family. 'We will make her another dog meal. … When it comes to New Year gifts, I think my parents will probably give their granddaughter a red envelope,' Xu told Reuters. Adults traditionally give red envelopes containing money to children during the Lunar New Year. Rich people's world While some Chinese social media users share postings of their pets' special holiday treats, some users were not as enthusiastic, with several complaining that 'these dogs and cats are better fed than I am.' A Guizhou province-based Weibo user named 'magnolia0526' said, 'The luxurious lifestyle of cats and dogs highlights the uneven distribution of resources in human society, which is not cute at all.' The post was in response to the hashtag 'sales of reunion dinner and dumplings for pets has seen a 480% growth.' Another Shandong province-based user mocked the trend, saying 'this is the world of the rich people.' Aside from pet food, Favor Pet's Lou said China has experienced a booming pet economy in recent years with growing business opportunities from pet grooming and sitting services, especially during holiday seasons. He said that a growing number of job seekers have signed up for the company's training programs as they shift career paths to find opportunities in the pet service sector. This article originated in VOA's Mandarin Service.
South China Morning Post
27-01-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's restaurant owners look forward to Spring Festival after tough year
Lunar New Year, arguably China's biggest annual holiday, can be seen as a barometer for the country's economy. As more than a billion people travel, shop, eat and give gifts to family and friends, their preferences and habits paint a picture of the nation's consumption over a few festive weeks. This is the third story in a nine-part series . Bookings for family reunion dinners on Lunar New Year's Eve – the centrepiece of Spring Festival celebrations – are booming across China, offering a ray of hope to struggling restaurant owners following a year of weak demand. It is traditionally the most important meal of the year for Chinese families, and to secure more business on Lunar New Year's Eve – which falls on January 28 this year – many restaurants are competing on price and innovation. At Mrs Yung's Restaurant in Guangzhou, the capital of southern China's Guangdong province, founder Vivian Wai Tong Ng is offering a 10-dish reunion dinner for eight to 10 people for 1,999 yuan (US$274). Premium fish, shrimp and crabs from the brackish waters at the Pearl River estuary, traditional Hong Kong-style roast goose and Cantonese clay pot rice made with imported Spanish pork will be included on the menu. The price of 1,999 yuan is roughly equivalent to one-third of an average Guangzhou office worker's monthly salary. Ng, who has been running restaurants in the city for 20 years, said similar set menus in previous years were offered at twice the price.
