This year I decided to stay in Shenzhen for the Spring Festival. Since this is a migrant city, it was practically deserted for this, the most important national holiday of the year; where everyone tries their best to get home to their families. Although quieter than in a place like Beijing, there were still some places you could see people preparing.

I thought you might like to see what Santa looks like here at a popular restaurant/bar area, heavily frequented by foreigners, called Sea World. It's in an area called Shekou in Shenzhen near Hong Kong. And yes, that is a very big beer in his hand.

Although it is the fifth day of the Spring Festival and I am in Urumqi, which is an autonomous region of China, there does not seem to be any letting up of the festivities. At least not when it comes to fireworks. They really must be cheap here because I find it amazing how many of them are constantly going off. When I buy fireworks in the states, I am lucky to get a good five minute show. This video is shot from the 7th floor of the Xin Rong Hotel between the hours of 9pm and midnight Beijing time and edited for the sake of your time. It kind of sucks because you hear them constantly but being in the hotel room, you can only see the ones right in front of you. By the way, here are a couple of interesting bits of information about travel during this time of year. Yesterday alone there were over 3.8 million people riding the rails and that number is expected to be 4 million riding the rails on Friday. In addition, there were 33 million people on the buses today!

I found this video on YouTube of the fireworks going off on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2007, taken from the 26th floor of an apartment building in the suburbs of Beijing. I think it compliments my video very well because it gives you a birds-eye view of what was happening all over the city (and the country for that matter).

Here are some photos taken at the International Spring Carnival at Chaoyang Park in Beijing, China. I have been unable to find any sort parade like we are used to in the states. Instead I find plenty of these types of festivals. This one is different from the traditional ones because it has a much more international feel, but it is still pretty interesting.

During the Spring Festival, people here in China pour into the streets, primarily at the Miao Hui's or temple fairs; however, there is only one Miao Hui that can say that it is still held in a temple. that is the Baiyunguan Temple Fair at the White Cloud Temple. The main reason for the visiting this temple is apparently for prayers and the wishing of good luck for the coming year as you can see from the videos and pictures I will be posting over the next few days. Here are some pictures and a video of one such good-luck-wishing event at the temple; throwing coins (50 coins for 10 yuan) at a bell on the Wo Feng Bridge.

Another interesting thing people seem to do for good luck is rub this ornate pot at Baiyunguan (aka White Cloud Temple) here in Beijing. As I mentioned in previous posts, the miao hui (temple fair) held at this Taoist Temple is actually the only miao hui that is still held at in a temple. That seems to explain why the crowds lining up at the door here are primarily visiting to make prayers and to perform the many rituals for bringing good luck. I found this one interesting as it involves approaching the pot with your eyes closed. Everyone seems to have pretty good aim, and for the most part, they all hit it dead on... I wonder if anyone peeks?

The miao hui at Ditan Park definitely seems to have been the most crowded one of all. The Beijing International Spring Carnival may have had more people but it was more spread out so I really couldn't say which was bigger. One thing I've noticed that these things is that food is huge. It seems to just be a place to eat a lot and then walk it off while doing a little shopping. It's pretty tough getting through the crowds. I always have a backpack with me wherever I go and I must say it was pretty difficult to get around with it on. Unless you really need something, I suggest leaving it at home or at your hotel. I hope you enjoy the video and this collection of pictures. It should give you a great idea of what a Spring Festival celebration is like in China.

Although I accidentally deleted by favorite clip of the evening, I shot over an hour more of the celebrations that took place on the streets of Beijing near the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing districts. Take a look at this 10 minute inside look at how China welcomed in 2007, the Year of the Pig, on the night of February 17th, the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

I arrived very late last night to Beijing and basically slept all morning. When I woke up, I thought I should go out and she what Valentines day looks like in Beijing, but where should I go? Well, Wangfujing of course! Wangfujing is a major shopping area of Beijing. It's not the street vendor stuff we're used to seeing in other parts of the country, but more the shopping center-style we are used to seeing back in the states. Rolex, Nike, Adidas and other name brand stores litter this area and provide Beijing with a very modern and high-priced shopping atmosphere. Perfect for Valentine's day.Click here to see photos of Valentines Day in the Wangfujing Shopping District of Beijing.