The Spring Festival  (chūn jiē 春节) is the most important and the biggest traditional festival in China, the grand holiday will be celebrated on Sunday, February 9 and lasts for 15 days till Lantern Festival on Sunday, February 24. During the spring festival, Chinese people will take a series of traditional activities to celebrate their reunion. But different part of China has very different customs. Here are the most typical traditions. 

As the Chinese saying goes "xin nian tou, jiu nian wei" (beginning of new year, end of the old year), chu xi is one of the most important occasion in Chinese culture. Chu Xi 除夕 marks the end of the Lunar Year and the start of a bright new year. The Chinese word "chu" takes to mean to discard (qǜ 去). The term chu xi, in essence, means to discard the old and herald the new. It is celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving.

Chun lian is a special type of Duilian, or couplet. It is used only during the Chinese New Year as part of its celebration. While duilian is permanent, chunlian is a temporary decoration to be placed on the entrance of the house, somewhat akin to Halloween and Christmas decorations.

Duilian comprises of a couplet written on vertical strips of red paper in the best calligraphic style one can muster. In addition, a third horizontal piece may be posted across and on top the door.

Chun lian is written on red paper with ink. Red is a very lucky color for the Chinese, it frightens off the Chinese New Year monster 'Nian' who arrives at this time of year and destroys crops and homes. "Nian" has three weaknesses: it was frightened by noise, sunshine, and the color red. So villagers built fires, set off firecrackers, and painted the doors to their houses red and placed red couplets beside the doors. Red to the Chinese also represents good fortune, fame and riches.

These couplets can be hung outside beside the main door and also inside in important rooms like the kitchen, bedroom and lounge. They are also hung either side of the cooker or hob. They are normally hung for two months after the Chinese New Year although many people leave them all year round for continued good luck.

History
Lion dance (wǔ shī 舞狮) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance originated in India. The lion is traditionally regarded as a guardian creature. It is featured in Buddhist lore, being the mount of Manjusri. There are different variations of the lion dance in other Asian cultures including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sydney, and Singapore, with each region possessing their own styles.

Chinese lion dances can be broadly categorised into two styles, Northern (běi shī 北狮) and Southern (nán shī 南狮). Northern dance was used as entertainment for the imperial court. The northern lion is usually red, orange, and yellow (sometimes with green fur for the female lion), shaggy in appearance, with a golden head. The northern dance is acrobatic and is mainly performed as entertainment. Sometimes, they perform dangerous stunts.

In Chinese society, a red envelope or red packet / red pocket (Known as Hong Bao in Mandarin, Ang Pao in Hokkien and Lai See in Cantonese, 红包) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions.

Origin
There are no clear literary sources from which to trace the origin of the red envelope tradition. In China, during the Qing Dynasty, the elderly would thread coins with a red string. The money was called yāsuì qián (traditional Chinese: 壓歲錢 压岁钱), meaning "money warding off evil spirits", and was believed to protect the elderly from sickness and death. The yāsuì qián was replaced by red envelopes when printing presses became more common after the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911. Red envelopes are also referred to as yāsuì qián.

Located in a suburb of Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao ( zhū jiā jiáo 朱 家 角) is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country, with a history of more than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains.

  
Hailuogou Glacier (hǎi luó gōu bīng chuān 海螺沟冰川) is situated in the southeast of Ganzi Zang Autonomous Prefecture (gān zī cáng zú zì zhì zhōu 甘孜藏族自治州) of Sichuan Province (sì chuān shěng 四川省). It is the maritime glacier with the lowest altitude in East Asia. Hailuogou is also called the No. 1 Glacier (yī hào bīng chuān 一号冰川) for it is the longest one among all the 74 glaciers in Gongga Mountain (gòng gā shān 贡嘎山).

Western Horoscope refers to the twelve zones of celestial longitude during one cycle of the earth's orbiting the sun. It is actually a way of dividing months in a year. 

The twelve zones are addressed by twelve constellation names: 

Unlike Western wines, Chinese wine is distilled from rice, millet and other grains, as well as herbs and flowers. A wide variety of tonic wines (zī bǔ jiǔ 滋补酒) are made with traditional ingredients. The popular rice-based Yellow Wine, is best served warm. It tastes similar to medium-dry sherry (xuě lì jiǔ 雪利酒) and goes well with a wide range of Chinese cuisine, especially during the cool season. Gao Liang (gāo liáng jiǔ 高粱酒) and Mao Tai (máo tái 茅台) are fiery, millet-based distillations with an alcoholic content of 70 per cent. These are definitely best sampled after a hearty meal.

Shanghai if loaded with activities and places for the whole family. 

Check out our list of outdoor activities and things to see and do for the whole family!

 
                                  Old but vigorous, poor but ambitious.

The Renmin University of China was established in 1937, during the resistance war against Japanese aggression. The University acquired its present name on October 3, 1950, which made it the first university to be established by the newly founded People's Republic of China.

Well-known educators including Wu Yuzhang, Cheng Fangwu, Yuan Baohua. Huang Da, and Li Wenhai have all served as president of the University. The RUC incumbent president is Professor Ji Baocheng, and Professor Cheng Tianquan is the Chairman of the University Council.