essay about chinese new year celebration

Chinese New Year – Few lines, Short Essay and Full Essay

Essays , Festivals 0

Last Updated on January 25, 2020

Few lines about Chinese New Year

• Chinese new year is also known as Lunar new year
• It is a Chinese festival celebrating the beginning of a new year of the Chinese calendar.
• In mainland china, the day marks the onset of spring and is referred as the Spring Festival.
• In 2020, the Chinese New Year is celebrated on 25th January and it’s a public holiday.
• This Chinese year is called the Year of the Rat.

Brief essay on Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is a well-known Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year of the Chinese calendar. It is also known as lunar New Year or the Spring Festival as it marks the onset of spring. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon day that happens between 21 January and 20 February. In 2020 the Chinese New Year is celebrated on 25th January commencing the Year of the Rat. Chinese New Year is an important holiday in China and the festival is also celebrated worldwide in regions with significant Chinese populations.

Long Essay on Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year in the Chinese calendar. It is also termed as “Lunar New Year”, “Chinese New Year Festival”, and “Spring Festival”. Generally, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates every year in the Gregorian calendar. It is calculated based on the first new moon day that falls between 21th of January and 20th of February.

Chinese New Year celebrations starting from the New Year eve and ends with the Lantern festival that is held on the 15th day of the year. Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in china and in several countries with sizable Chinese and Korean population. It is the longest holidays in china. The holidays mark the end of the winter’s coldest days and people welcome the spring, praying to Gods for the upcoming planting and harvest season.

Different regional customs and traditions accompany the festival. Eating dumplings, Yule Log cake, tang yuan or ‘soup balls’, and red envelopes with ‘lucky’ money are part of customary celebration. According to some Myth, the Chinese New Year festival celebrates the death of a monster called Nian, which was killed by a brave boy with fire crackers on the New Year’s Eve. And that’s why firecrackers is considered the crucial part of the Spring Festival as it is believed to scare off monsters and bad luck.

This year, 2020, Chinese New Year falls on 25th of January is called the year of the Rat.

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Lunar New Year 2024

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 9, 2024 | Original: February 4, 2010

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities, among others. The New Year celebration is celebrated for multiple days—not just one day as in the Gregorian calendar’s New Year.

This Lunar New Year, which begins on February 10, is the Year of the Dragon.

China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết .

Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. The New Year typically begins with the first new moon that occurs between the end of January and spans the first 15 days of the first month of the lunar calendar—until the full moon arrives.

Zodiac Animals

Each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or “signs” along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos. 

The 12 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In addition to the animals, five elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal are also mapped onto the traditional lunar calendar. Each year is associated with an animal that corresponds to an element.

The year 2024 is slated to be the year of the dragon—an auspicious symbol of power, wisdom and good fortune. The year of the dragon last came up in 2012.

Lunar New Year Foods and Traditions

Each culture celebrates the Lunar New Year differently with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance and togetherness. In preparation for the Lunar New Year, houses are thoroughly cleaned to rid them of inauspicious spirits, which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.

Some households hold rituals to offer food and paper icons to ancestors. Others post red paper and banners inscribed with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune in front of, and inside, homes. Elders give out envelopes containing money to children. Foods made from glutinous rice are commonly eaten, as these foods represent togetherness. Other foods symbolize prosperity, abundance and good luck.

Chinese New Year is thought to date back to the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C. Under Emperor Wu of Han (140–87 B.C.), the tradition of carrying out rituals on the first day of the Chinese calendar year began. 

“This holiday has ancient roots in China as an agricultural society. It was the occasion to celebrate the harvest and worship the gods and ask for good harvests in times to come," explains Yong Chen, a scholar in Asian American Studies. 

During the Cultural Revolution in 1967, official Chinese New Year celebrations were banned in China. But Chinese leaders became more willing to accept the tradition. In 1996, China instituted a weeklong vacation during the holiday—now officially called Spring Festival—giving people the opportunity to travel home and to celebrate the new year. 

Did you know? San Francisco, California, claims its Chinese New Year parade is the biggest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. The city has hosted a Chinese New Year celebration since the Gold Rush era of the 1860s, a period of large-scale Chinese immigration to the region.

Today, the holiday prompts major travel as hundreds of millions hit the roads or take public transportation to return home to be with family.

Among Chinese cultures, fish is typically included as a last course of a New Year’s Eve meal for good luck. In the Chinese language, the pronunciation of “fish” is the same as that for the word “surplus” or “abundance.” Chinese New Year’s meals also feature foods like glutinous rice ball soup, moon-shaped rice cakes (New Year’s cake) and dumplings ( Jiǎozi in Mandarin). Sometimes, a clean coin is tucked inside a dumpling for good luck.

The holiday concludes with the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated on the last day of New Year's festivities. Parades, dances, games and fireworks mark the finale of the holiday.

In Vietnamese celebrations of the holiday, homes are decorated with kumquat trees and flowers such as peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, orchids and red gladiolas. As in China, travel is heavy during the holiday as family members gather to mark the new year.

Families feast on five-fruit platters to honor their ancestors. Tết celebrations can also include bánh chưng , a rice cake made with mung beans, pork, and other ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves. Snacks called  mứt tết   are commonly offered to guests. These sweet bites are made from dried fruits or roasted seeds mixed with sugar.

In Korea, official Lunar New Year celebrations were halted from 1910-1945. This was when the Empire of Japan annexed Korea and ruled it as a colony until the end of World War II . Celebrations of Seollal were officially revived in 1989, although many families had already begun observing the lunar holiday. North Korea began celebrating the Lunar New Year according to the lunar calendar in 2003. Before then, New Year's was officially only observed on January 1. North Koreans are also encouraged to visit statues of founder Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il, during the holidays and provide an offering of flowers.

Among both North and South Koreans, sliced rice cake soup ( tteokguk ) is prepared to mark the Lunar New Year holiday. The clear broth and white rice cakes of tteokguk are believed to symbolize starting the year with a clean mind and body. Rather than giving money in red envelopes, as in China and Vietnam, elders give New Year's money in white and patterned envelopes.

Traditionally, families gather from all over Korea at the house of their oldest male relative to pay their respects to both ancestors and elders. Travel is less common in North Korea and families tend to mark the holiday at home. 

Lunar New Year Greetings

Cultures celebrating Lunar New Year have different ways of greeting each other during the holiday. In Mandarin, a common way to wish family and close friends a happy New Year is “ Xīnnián hǎo ,” meaning “New Year Goodness” or “Good New Year.” Another greeting is “ Xīnnián kuàilè, ” meaning "Happy New Year."

Traditional greetings during Tết in Vietnam are “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới” (Happy New Year) and “Cung Chúc Tân Xuân” (gracious wishes of the new spring). For Seollal, South Koreans commonly say "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo” (May you receive lots of luck in the new year), while North Koreans say "Saehaereul chuckhahabnida” (Congratulations on the new year).

— huiying b. chan , Research and Policy Analyst on the Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative team at the New York University Metro Center, edited this report.

"Lunar New Year origins, customs explained," by Laura Rico,  University of California, Irvine , February 19, 2015.

"Everything you need to know about Vietnamese Tết," Vietnam Insider , December 3, 2020.

"Seollal, Korean Lunar New Year," by Brendan Pickering,  Asia Society . 

"The Origin of Chinese New Year," by Haiwang Yuan, Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR , February 1, 2016.

"The Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends," Asia for Educators .

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Essay: This Chinese New Year, Make Noise, Be Brave, Create Your Own Luck

Chinese New Year celebrations are all about new beginnings and fresh starts. The new year is a time of hope and good luck.

How one spends the first day of the new year is supposed to foretell how the rest of the year will go. On Lunar New Year’s Day — this past Saturday — parents are not supposed to scold their children, brothers and sisters are not supposed to argue, and (pro tip) no one is supposed to cook or you will end up scolding, arguing, or cooking all year.

Some say that the first person to come visit your house on Lunar New Year’s Day will foretell what the new year will bring. Instead of leaving it up to chance, some people actually arrange for a rich person to come to their door first thing to ensure that their new year will be full of riches.

I am not really that superstitious, so, although I teach my children these old Chinese traditions , I am OK with occasionally nodding toward the spirit of the idea even if we do not get the letter of it exactly right.

RELATED: 10 Lunar New Year Facts to Help Answer Your Pressing Questions

Celebrated jazz pianist and composer Jon Jang is coming to town for a big concert next week. I plot — if the university has not already made plans for him — that maybe I can invite him to our house for dinner, ensuring that our new year will be filled with music, arts, and activism. Maybe I am superstitious enough to believe that this will be one small act of supernatural resistance against reportedly proposed funding cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities .

"All I want is quiet. But if the news of the past week is any indication, this is not going to be a quiet year."

But our weekend is full of soccer, academic games, Chinese school, and Chinese traditional orchestra rehearsal. Scheduling is going to be tricky. I am invited to a professor’s Lunar New Year party at which Jang will be a guest. Close enough!

Music, arts, and activism may not come to our house directly, but we will be spending the year with them.

Before Lunar New Year’s Day arrives, one is supposed to settle all debts, resolve all fights, clean the house top to bottom, and wrap up the old year so that the new year can begin fresh.

Instead, I usually end up treating the Lunar New Year as an extension, an extra month or two to finish up the old calendar year before I have to start thinking about the new.

On Jan. 1 when people ask, “What are your New Year’s resolutions?” I answer, “Oh, I’m Chinese American, I still have another month.”

However, this past year, I have been feeling so overextended that I have been actively trying to pare down my commitments so that I am not obligated to too many others. During the two weeks of winter break that my children were out of school, I did not leave the house. I just sat in my kitchen, and I worked. Somehow, miraculously, I finished all of my 2016 commitments by Jan. 7, 2017, a first ever for me. I remember spending all of Jan. 8 in a daze. I had new stuff I could do, but there were no emergencies, no fires to put out. Then school started again on Jan. 9 and we were back to frantic freneticism.

RELATED: New Book on Civil Rights Icon Fred Korematsu Challenges Youth to Speak Up for Justice

All I want is quiet.

But if the news of the past week is any indication, this is not going to be a quiet year.

Monday, Jan. 30, is recognized by several states as the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution . Korematsu challenged the constitutionality of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, which helped pave the way for redress and reparations for the Japanese-American community in the 1980s.

Although Korematsu received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he was also a somewhat reluctant activist. He was only 23 years old at the time and just wanted to hang out with his European-American girlfriend. Yet, once he started fighting, he wanted to make sure that the same thing could never happen to anyone again. He spent the last years of his life standing up for the Muslim-American community after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

This year will be the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act , which banned Chinese from entering America from 1882 to 1943. It is also the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 , which incarcerated about 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, in incarceration camps during World War II. It is also the 35th anniversary of the baseball bat beating death of Chinese American Vincent Chin by auto workers who blamed the Japanese for the troubles of the automotive industry. These events are all connected.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Trump signed an executive order to ban people from several Muslim-majority countries and to halt the entry of refugees . Refugees, international students, and U.S. permanent residents — who had visas and were already in the air when the order was signed — were not allowed entry upon arrival at the airport, followed by a weekend of mass protests at airports around the country and an emergency stay of the order.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up,” Korematsu had said. “One person can make a difference, even if it takes 40 years.”

So on Monday, I will be at the law school’s Korematsu Day program — with members of the Japanese American Citizens League, American Citizens for Justice, and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) — speaking up about this history and the importance of standing up for others, especially today.

I will be thinking about all the ways that I am privileged to speak, and I will be carrying with me the thousands of people who have been standing up, marching, and protesting for others; the dark humor and new-found resistance of historians, scientists, and park rangers; the courage of Native Americans and veterans protecting the environment at Standing Rock; the image of volunteer attorneys sitting and working on the floors of airports; and the conviction of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance who went on strike at JFK Airport Saturday in protest of the executive order.

Chinese New Year is a boisterous, magical time, with firecrackers and lion dances to scare away bad luck and evil spirits and to set the tone for the new year. Chinese New Year traditions are not about waiting and hoping for good luck to arrive, but about taking steps to make sure that it happens.

So make noise. Be brave. Create your own luck to shape this new year.

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and Tumblr .

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Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a freelance writer and speaker based in Michigan and Hawaii. She has been a contributor for AAPIVoices.com, NewAmericaMedia.org, ChicagoIsTheWorld.org, PacificCitizen.org and InCultureParent.com. She teaches Asian Pacific American Studies and writing and she speaks nationally on Asian Pacific American issues.

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Good Essay On Chinese New Year

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: China , Chinese New Year , Family , Celebration , House , Happiness , Tradition , Dinner

Published: 02/20/2023

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Chinese New Year is an event that is well celebrated by Chinese all over the world. The celebration is the most significant traditional Chinese holidays and the longest festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Statistically, during Chinese New Year known as Spring Festival, the Chinese communities hold parties to bid farewell to the past year and they welcome the New Year. During the Chinese New Year of 2016, I have witnessed the celebration with my friends. Particularly, I have experienced the celebration before the New Year’s Day. The Chinese community with their families made everything ready for the great event. Before the New Year Eve, I observed that people were busy cleaning the house and everything inside the house. Chinese individuals believe that the complete cleaning the house signifies the removal of the old things and welcome the new things. When I asked my Chinese friend about the cleaning of the entire house before the New Year, he answered that it is one way to sweep way the ill fortune and to make way for the incoming good luck. Right after cleaning, I was amazed with all the decorations to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations inside and outside the house, even on the street were red in color; especially the windows and doors were decorated with red couplets and paper cuts with the theme wealth, happiness, and long life. The most popular decorations were lanterns, dui lian, upside down fu, year paint, door gods, and paper cuttings. At the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was the most significant dinner for the Chinese tradition. Normally, the dinner was the family reunion, especially for those families living away from home. Everyone was very happy greeting each other a happy new year and they were proud to share their culture and traditions. The younger ones greet the older relatives and friends. The food preparation was one of the best parts during dinner like fish and dumplings and other preferred dishes. I asked one of the Chinese visitors the significance of the food prepared, and then he explained that the dishes signify prosperity. The fireworks are part of the Chinese New Year tradition. I witnessed the beautiful fireworks display and listened to the traditional songs. Right after 12 midnight on the New Year’s Eve, the fireworks were launched to celebrate the coming of the New Year. As a Chinese belief, the fireworks can drive away the evil spirit or elements. It is a belief that the individual who personally launched the first firework of the New Year will receive good luck and prosperity. After the New Year’s Eve, most of the family members stayed awake the entire night. However, some individuals just stayed up after the fireworks ended. According to the elders, they used to wear red clothes, launched fireworks, light fires, and stay awake because the mythical beast will attack during the Eve of the celebration. Moreover, I noticed a red envelope with money in it and the Chinese named it, Red Packet. Usually, the red packets were given by adults, especially the elderly and married couples to younger children during the celebration. As a belief, the red packet will hold back the evil from the children, keep the children healthy, and provide them longevity. In addition, I noticed that most of the individuals were wearing beautiful dresses that I presumed new clothes. I would say that doing this tradition marked the start of new life, a new period of their lives. I was impressed how they follow all the traditional customs and beliefs. I believe that the Chinese New Year is a great time for forgetting all grudges, to reconcile, and truly wish good health, peace, longevity, and happiness for everyone. Indeed, the Chinese culture is rich and its creative expressions. All the preparation, food, and ceremony are breathtaking. The celebration is a major holiday and it influences other people who join the celebration about the rich culture and tradition of the Chinese community.

Works Cited

Chinese New Year Traditions. About Us: Chinese New Year Traditions. 2016. 29 February 2016 <http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-traditions.php>. Sabur, Rozina and Cameron Macphail. Happy Chinese New Year! 17 February 2016. Web. 29 Feb 2016. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/12148312/chinese-new-year-2016-year-of-the-monkey-chinese-horoscope-zodiac-lunar-new-year.html>. Zhang, Hong. "Celebrating The Chinese New Year." China Today 65.2 (2016): 68-70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Chinese New Year — The Chinese New Year ’s Eve In My Family

The Chinese New Year ’s Eve in My Family

• Categories: Chinese Culture Chinese New Year Family Values

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Published: Jul 15, 2020

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Chinese New Year Vs Christmas (Differences and Similarities)

You might not know a lot about Chinese New Year (also known as the Spring Festival), but, really, there aren't too many differences when you compare the biggest Chinese festival of the year to the biggest Western festival.

In this piece, we look at some of the biggest differences and similarities to help you gain a better understanding.

• Christmas 2024 date: December 25th, 2024
• Chinese New Year 2024 date: February 10th, 2024

Origins and Beliefs

While Christmas is a religious holiday with connections to Christianity, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, the Chinese New Year celebration has links to agrarian society when the Chinese used to pray for success during the coming farming year. Later religious practices, like Buddhism and ancestor worship, also attached themselves to the Spring Festival.

In a way, both festivals have similar origins as they both have roots in paganism, taking the earth's position relative to the sun into careful consideration. There's half a season's difference (on average) now. Yule celebrates "the return of the sun"; the Spring Festival celebrates the 'Start of Spring'.

Click to see the Origin and History of Chinese New Year .

Legend (one that came after Chinese New Year came to be) has it that, during Chinese New Year , a monster named Nian (or year) used to go to the villages once a year to eat livestock and children, and that the only way to banish this monster was through red-colored objects and loud noises. This sheds some light on the traditions explained below.

Click to read the Top 3 Chinese New Year Legends/Stories .

Legends of Christmas are rather more friendly, with tales of the historical Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) and the mythical embodiment of Christmas (Father Christmas) merging into one benevolent present-giver.

Dates and Duration

Traditionally Chinese New Year lasts about two weeks in total, with the official holiday between February 10th to 17th in 2024, with most people returning to work by February 17th.

The Western Christmas holiday season is similar in length at approximately two weeks, from December 24 through January 6, although generally only schools get this entire period off. The reason for choosing December 25 as the actual date is unknown, although this was the date the Romans marked as the winter solstice.

One of the main differences in dates for the two celebrations is that in China the dates change every year (within the period January 21 to February 20) in accordance with the lunar calendar , and the first seven days are always public holidays (from CNY's Eve).

See detailed information about Chinese New Year date and why it changes every year .

Traditional Activities

Christmas is generally seen as a Christian holiday (even though the original mid-winter Yule celebration predated Christianity by thousands of years). The typical rite is to attend mass or some form of carol service to remember Christ's birth.

The Chinese New Year is welcomed with lion and dragon dances (among many other things listed below) in a parade through the streets. The lions and dragons are typically acrobats in colorful costumes as depicted. The dances are loud in the aim to push away evil spirits and bring in prosperity and luck for the year ahead.

Another tradition that is common in China, that you don't find as much during the Christmas season, is the buying and wearing of new clothes especially for Chinese New Year, and getting rid of the old. The idea of new beginnings is really important during the Spring Festival.

Read more on How to Celebrated Chinese New Year : a day-by-day guide .

During Christmas in the West, although these traditions vary wildly whether you're in North America or in Europe, and even within Europe, typical food includes turkey, nuts, sweets, and cakes. In general hours are spent around the dining table eating lots and drinking with family and friends.

In China, the foods popular during Chinese New Year are popular because of the symbolic meaning of their name or appearance.

For example, fish is always present during Chinese New Year meals because the Chinese word for fish, yu, has the same sound as the Chinese word for abundance. As a result, Chinese people believe that eating fish during this period means you will be prosperous in the new year.

Another common item is dumplings , or jiaozi , shaped to look like ancient Chinese coins representing wealth and prosperity. These are usually stuffed with meat and vegetables with specific stuffings ranging across the country.

As for meal timings , Christmas sees its main meal at lunchtime of Christmas Day, while in China the main meal takes place in the evening of Chinese New Year's Eve.

See Chinese New Year Food: Top 7 Lucky Foods and Symbolism .

Traditional Presents

In the West , toys are more common presents for children (given to them by Santa Claus). Between adults, presents are more likely to be food or drink related, or money amongst close relatives.

During Chinese New Year , however, the most common present is the red envelope filled with money, or hongbao . These are given to children by adults. Amongst each other, adults will exchange fruit baskets, sweets, alcohol, tea, and other items like that. We've compiled a list of gifts to give at Chinese New Year here .

Colors and Decorations

Green, red, and gold are the most common Christmas colors in the West, adorning the streets, houses, and shop fronts. In China, red and gold are also the most typical colors, representing prosperity and happiness.

You'll also see these colors across houses and streets, with Chinese New Year's decorations made of red paper and thread as seen in the picture on the side. Chinese households will put up couplets with good wishes or statements, paper cuttings, and images in relation to the Chinese zodiac.

Flowers also represent Chinese New Year festivities. While in the West we put up Christmas trees during the Christmas season, in China kumquat trees can be found because the Chinese word for kumquat contains the word for 'gold', representing wealth.

The atmosphere, and the noise levels, definitely differs between Christmas and Chinese New Year.

While firecrackers and fireworks are set off to be as loud as possible in China in order to scare away the above mentioned Nian monster, during Christmas the atmosphere is generally calmer, with church bells and Christmas carols taking a quiet approach to festivities.

Click to see Why Chinese New Year Must Have Firecrackers .

Christmas in the West generally sees no fireworks, although New Year's Eve does. Even then, however, the focus is on aesthetically pleasing fireworks in the West, whereas Chinese New Year fireworks are aiming to be as loud as possible rather than as beautiful as possible.

More Similarities: Kinship, Hope, Commercialism

And finally, a huge similarity lies in the importance of kinship.

In both Chinese and Western cultures, the importance of being with family takes a central role during celebrations, and traveling home is an important part of this.

The only difference here is that going home during Chinese New Year is so important for Chinese people that this time of year is also known to be the biggest human migration . Millions leave the cities on trains, planes, and buses to get to their families in the countryside.

Also, both of these celebrations are a way to make the long, cold winter seem less daunting, providing hope at the end of the tunnel, these days also with a new commercial twist.

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Guest Essay

Hong Kongers Are Purging the Evidence of Their Lost Freedom

By Maya Wang

Ms. Wang is the acting China director for Human Rights Watch.

“What should I do with those copies of Apple Daily ?”

Someone in Hong Kong I was chatting with on the phone recently had suddenly dropped her voice to ask that question, referring to the pro-democracy newspaper that the government forced to shut down in 2021.

“Should I toss them or send them to you?”

My conversations with Hong Kong friends are peppered with such whispers these days. Last week, the city enacted a draconian security law — its second serious legislative assault on Hong Kong’s freedoms since 2020. Known as Article 23 , the new law expands the National Security Law and criminalizes such vague behavior as the possession of information that is “directly or indirectly useful to an external force.”

Hong Kong was once a place where people did not live in fear. It had rule of law, a rowdy press and a semi-democratic legislature that kept the powerful in check. The result was a city with a freewheeling energy unmatched in China. Anyone who grew up in China in the 1980s and 1990s could sing the Cantopop songs of Hong Kong stars like Anita Mui, and that was a problem for Beijing: Freedom was glamorous, desirable.

When Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the city’s people accepted, in good faith, Beijing’s promises that its capitalist system and way of life would remain unchanged for 50 years and that the city would move toward universal suffrage in the election of its leader.

Not anymore. Now Hong Kong people are quietly taking precautions, getting rid of books, T-shirts, film footage, computer files and other documents from the heady days when this international financial center was also known for its residents’ passionate desire for freedom.

I used to joke that I never needed to watch dystopian series like “The Handmaid’s Tale” or “The Hunger Games.” As someone who has lived and worked for years in Hong Kong and China, I know what it feels like to descend into deepening repression, remembering our free lives.

As Beijing kept breaking its promises over the years, Hong Kongers took to the streets to defend their freedoms nearly every sweltering summer. In 2003, demonstrations by half a million people forced Hong Kong’s government to shelve an earlier attempt to introduce Article 23. In 2014, hundreds of thousands peacefully occupied parts of the city for 79 days to protest moves by Beijing to ensure that only candidates acceptable to the Communist Party could run for election as Hong Kong’s top leader.

But Hong Kongers were unprepared for the coming of President Xi Jinping of China, the architect of another frightening crackdown far away on the mainland.

In 2017, I started to receive reports that Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities were disappearing into “ political education” camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang . People who had managed to get out told me how Xinjiang’s borders were suddenly closed, escape was becoming impossible and speech or behavior that was once acceptable — like simply praying at a neighbor’s house — could get you jailed. Officials would enter homes to inspect books and decorations. Uyghurs were discarding copies of the Quran or books written in Arabic, fearing they would be disappeared or jailed for insufficient loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. One man told me he had burned a T-shirt with a map of Kazakhstan on it — many of Xinjiang’s inhabitants are ethnic Kazakhs with family members across the border — because any foreign connection had become risky.

As these stories of repression and fear emerged from Xinjiang, they were instantly recognizable in Hong Kong. In 2019, the city’s government proposed a bill that would have allowed extradition to China. Fear and anger — and the feeling that Hong Kong people needed to make one last stand while they could — exploded in months of protest .

One of the 2019 protest slogans — “Today’s Xinjiang is tomorrow’s Hong Kong”— sounded to me like hyperbole at the time. Now, five years later, it feels prescient. Today, it’s Hong Kongers who are disposing of dangerous books and T-shirts. Some people I know have quietly left an online chat group that includes foreign organizations and individuals; such contact could put the group’s Hong Kong members at risk. Others are quitting social media; tens of thousands have already left Hong Kong.

After Beijing imposed the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, it used the law to decimate the city’s pro-democracy movement by jailing its leaders. More than 1,000 people remain in jail. Fearful of arrest, independent labor unions and media outlets disbanded. Libraries pulled hundreds of books off shelves. Films and plays were censored. Civil servants can no longer stay neutral and are forced to pledge allegiance to the government.

Both the National Security Law and Article 23, passed last week, are broad, vague and blunt instruments intended to critically wound civil liberties and transform institutions that protected people’s freedoms into tools of repression. Under Article 23, anyone found guilty of participating in a meeting of a “prohibited organization” or who discloses “unlawful” and vaguely defined “state secrets” could face a decade behind bars.

Beijing has couched this repression in terms like “the rule of law,” and visitors to Hong Kong often fail to recognize the transformations taking place beneath the enduring glitz of the city. That leaves the rest of the world detached from the reality on the ground — unable to sympathize with Beijing’s victims or to feel their breathlessness under this growing weight.

One acquaintance in Hong Kong told me that people he knew had become blasé about their sudden loss of freedom and were just coldly watching the destruction of the city and what it stood for. But others, toughened over the years, still express hope and defiance. The solidarity forged through nearly two decades of widespread activism won’t die easily. A Pew Research Center survey this month found that more than 80 percent of Hong Kongers still want democracy, however remote that possibility looks today.

The Chinese government wants the world to forget about Hong Kong, to forget what the city once was, to forget Beijing’s broken promises. But Hong Kong’s people will never forget. Don’t look away.

Maya Wang (@wang_maya) is acting China director for Human Rights Watch.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Lunar New Year 2024: The Year of the Dragon Ushers in Era of Ambition, Generosity & Confidence

Lunar New Year is estimated to be celebrated by approximately 2 billion people worldwide, including many students, faculty and alumni within the CSUN community. Matadors share how they plan to celebrate and which traditions they find most significant as the Year of the Rabbit ends and they look ahead to a new year.

When Is Lunar Year 2024?

Lunar New Year dates vary each year and take place between Jan. 21 through Feb. 20. The first new moon of the lunar calendar kicks off the celebrations, and they culminate on the first full moon of the lunar calendar.

This year, Lunar New Year occurs on  Saturday, Feb. 10.

The holiday,  which is now recognized as an official California state holiday , is referred to by a variety of names depending on location. In China, it is known as the Spring Festival or Chūnjié in Mandarin. In Korea, the celebration is called Seollal, and in Vietnam, the celebration is referred to as Tết.

Lunar New Year consists of a 12-year repeating cycle of animal signs — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig — and many believe the animal sign of the year someone is born possesses ascribed attributes.

This year marks The Year of the Dragon.

Festivities during Lunar New Year may include fireworks, lanterns, candles, performances and parades, depending on the country and region.

Another Lunar New Year tradition that is customary in Chinese and various Southeast Asian cultures is the giving of red packets or envelopes, known as hóngbāo in Mandarin. The envelope contains a monetary gift meant to symbolize a prosperous year ahead. Often, elders gift the envelopes to children or grandchildren, but friends and colleagues also partake in this custom. In addition to Lunar New Year, the tradition is also used to celebrate births and weddings.

Which Lunar Year Traditions are most meaningful to CSUN Faculty and Students?

Asian American Studies  professor Gina Masequesmay — who notes there are many different traditions among the various countries and regions that celebrate — shares some of her most meaningful events that take place during the celebration.

“Family (extended) gathering with lots of food and well-wishes on the first day,” she said. “It’s also a chance for relationship renewal or begin anew. Second day is with more distant relatives and friends. Third day is spread goodwill outward to every living being, including animals and plants.” Adding, “Gathering of family members before the new year and cooking a feast is memorable. New clothes, clean house, full of food.”

Graduate student Crystal Chwierut, who is pursuing a master’s in Elementary Education (Curriculum and Instruction), also stressed the importance of connecting with family.

“A reunion dinner is when the whole family comes together to celebrate the new year together. The new year is all about welcoming in the new and the hope for a prosperous future, so there’s nothing like sharing that hope and excitement with the people that you’re closest to,” she shared.

The recent passing of a family member caused her family to alter their tradition.

  “This used to be my favorite tradition, but since my grandpa died two years ago, we’ve added a new step to our celebrations. It’s customary to bring your deceased loved one’s offerings when you visit them, especially for the new year,” Crystal said. “A day before Lunar New Year begins, we go to the cemetery and bring offerings (oranges/tangerines, favorite drinks and foods) and take incense to burn. We go a day before as a way to our grandpa ‘eat before us’ as a way to show respect. It’s a nice way to pay our respects and still feel connected to him.”

Masequesmay also noted the new year is an important time for those who are spiritual.

“For the religious, it’s also fun to go to church or temples. At temples, there’s a practice of oracle reading (Central Viet Nam tradition) or fortune telling (all Buddhist temples),” she explained.

  What Can Matadors Expect from The Year of The Dragon — If They Believe in Horoscopes?

  The Dragon  represents the fifth animal in the 12-year cycle. Many believe dragons are known for their power, energy and leadership. Those born under this sign are believed to be ambitious, charismatic, and inspiring, often taking on leadership roles with confidence. With a blend of goal-oriented drive and romantic idealism, Dragons are said to possess a keen sense of self, making them magnetic personalities in both social and professional settings.

Crystal is looking forward to The Year of The Dragon and all the possibilities that might be in store.

“The Year of the Dragon is exciting because out of all twelve of the animals, the dragon is seen as the luckiest and most powerful,” she added. “This year is supposed to be a good time to explore new opportunities and grow.”

  The next Year of The Dragon is not until 2036 — it’s time to make the most of everything the year ahead has to offer!

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