Celebrate Spring Festival 2023 with Cultural Keys!

Special occasions call for special celebrations!

Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, is the main festival in the Chinese calendar. It is traditionally 15 days long with celebrations starting on the last day of the lunar calendar (Spring Festival Eve, January 21st 2023) and ending with the Lantern Festival (February 5th 2023). It’s the perfect opportunity for themed events, so if you’d like to plan a celebration but don’t know where to begin, Cultural Keys can help! 

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China’s Luckiest Character: 福 – 2022 Edition!

At Spring Festival there are many ways to decorate, but one of the most common is to paste the character ‘fu’, 福, on doors and windows. There is evidence that this custom dates back to the Song dynasty (AD 960 – 1279).

福 is pronounced fú and means ‘blessings’. It is traditionally handwritten in black or gold ink by itself on square red paper, with the corners pointing in the directions of the compass, and it is hung up facing outwards to keep bad luck away and bring good luck to the home. It is often hung with other decorations, such as couplets and red lanterns.

Read on to learn about this auspicious character and see some more examples!

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Welcoming the Year of the Tiger!

Chinese people around the world are preparing for the lunar new year, also known in Chinese as Spring Festival 春节 Chūnjié – the Year of the Tiger! It’s celebrated according to the lunar calendar, and in 2022 it falls on February 1st, ending with the Lantern Festival on February 15th.

Read on to take a look at the origins of, and stories behind, one of the world’s most celebrated holidays! 

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Our favourite sights from around Tianjin

Just thirty minutes outside of Beijing by express train, Tianjin showcases beautiful locations and architecture from a wide swathe of Chinese history. Go from the Confucian temple to grand European streets to river walks all within minutes in Tianjin.

We personally have been to Tianjin several times, and each time we go, we find something new to enjoy. For your pleasure, here are a few of our favourite shots from my last few visits that will perhaps inspire you to go there for yourself if you haven’t already!

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