It's pretty crazy to think that Lesley and I have experienced 2 New Years eves, on 2 different continents within 1 month...
Although our last post is just up we wanted to share some sights and sounds from New Years Eve here in Chengdu. For starters, To say the year of the Ox came in with a BANG is probably the biggest understatement of my life. Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival as it is called here, is a big deal for the Chinese who see it as Christmas and New Years all rolled into one. Added to it, this year the government allowed people to light fireworks off anywhere, which they are not usually allowed to do. The fireworks are supposed to scare away the demons of the year past, and with the 'Snow Disaster', and the Earthquake not far from here, that they had last year, along with the recession, the government figured it couldn't hurt to scare away as many demons as possible.
I have another theory on this one. China makes a lot of fireworks, and since we got to Chengdu on the 23rd we have seen tents on most street corners selling fireworks. Now we all know that a 'good' fireworks show can be pricey, and by 'good' I mean Canada day, or the symphony of fire. These two shows pale in comparison to the pyrotechnics that went on last night, and seem to be continuing tonight and may continue for the next 7 to 15 days, so I can imagine that the sheer number of fireworks we saw last night would be good for China's economy...
If you haven't been in China for New Years it's hard to comprehend how many fireworks go off, and I think, that being said, that there were more this year than normal. To start with, the fireworks last night were going off for about 6 hours pretty continuously with a crescendo at midnight. This particular crescendo lasted for about 30 minutes. Now when I say 'crescendo', imagine you were, as we were, spending your New Years eve sitting atop an 8 story hotel, higher than many buildings around it. Now imagine fireworks going off 360 degrees around you, from where you sat to the horizon. It was like being in a war zone with pretty lights. The sights and sounds were almost overwhelming.
To all our friends and loved ones, Xinnian kuaile! I hope the year of the Ox is a safe and prosperous year for all.
Although our last post is just up we wanted to share some sights and sounds from New Years Eve here in Chengdu. For starters, To say the year of the Ox came in with a BANG is probably the biggest understatement of my life. Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival as it is called here, is a big deal for the Chinese who see it as Christmas and New Years all rolled into one. Added to it, this year the government allowed people to light fireworks off anywhere, which they are not usually allowed to do. The fireworks are supposed to scare away the demons of the year past, and with the 'Snow Disaster', and the Earthquake not far from here, that they had last year, along with the recession, the government figured it couldn't hurt to scare away as many demons as possible.
I have another theory on this one. China makes a lot of fireworks, and since we got to Chengdu on the 23rd we have seen tents on most street corners selling fireworks. Now we all know that a 'good' fireworks show can be pricey, and by 'good' I mean Canada day, or the symphony of fire. These two shows pale in comparison to the pyrotechnics that went on last night, and seem to be continuing tonight and may continue for the next 7 to 15 days, so I can imagine that the sheer number of fireworks we saw last night would be good for China's economy...
If you haven't been in China for New Years it's hard to comprehend how many fireworks go off, and I think, that being said, that there were more this year than normal. To start with, the fireworks last night were going off for about 6 hours pretty continuously with a crescendo at midnight. This particular crescendo lasted for about 30 minutes. Now when I say 'crescendo', imagine you were, as we were, spending your New Years eve sitting atop an 8 story hotel, higher than many buildings around it. Now imagine fireworks going off 360 degrees around you, from where you sat to the horizon. It was like being in a war zone with pretty lights. The sights and sounds were almost overwhelming.
Thanks for reading.
Ian
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