Happy Chinese New Year! Tradition Meets Technology In 2022

Happy Chinese New Year 2022! Markets are closed across most of Asia as the world celebrates the Year of the Tiger. In place of our usual market commentary, our cultural analyst Xiabing Su takes us on the ground as she celebrates the holiday with her family. She also shows us how traditional customs meet modern technology to make life more convenient and environmentally friendly. Watch the video here, or read the full transcript below.

Lunar New Year is the most important festival in China. It is the time that families sit together, share our blessings and also celebrating the beginning of the new year, just like a combination of Christmas and Thanksgiving.

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Now, over 20 countries celebrate Lunar New Year across the oceans.

2022 is the year of the Tiger symbolizing a year of power, confidence and strengths.

We believe a thorough clean-up is a great way to cut off the old, past energy that we no longer need and also open up a space for embracing something new. Lighting off fireworks is another way to get rid of “evil things” and bring luck.

Red is the color of the festival; it means prosperity and happiness. We often receive “red envelopes”, a monetary gift during spring festival. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, and if you receive a “red envelope”, it means you are cared and blessed by this person.

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Food is definitely another language of the festival. We usually have lots of food. Dumplings are necessary in certain parts of China, meaning “happy reunion” and “good luck”.

Some of our customs are also updating with the time and technology.

For example, cleaning robots are now helping people to do the cleanings, saving much time and energy for urban people.

Because of the pandemic, some people may not be able to come home for the celebration. However, video calls on WeChat helps us achieve reunion in another way. Red Envelopes are now becoming digital as well. We can send and receive red envelopes online, but also receive them from Internet companies like Alibaba, ByteDance’s Douyin and Kuaishou, totally adding up to over ten billion yuan each year. The services provided by those companies are also part of our lives.

To reduce the damage that fireworks cause to the environment, E-firecrackers are taking the place of traditional fireworks, with similar costs, emit no pollution and can be reused in the future.

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Lunar New Year is a way to cherish the culture and also it’s amazing to witness how our customs are updating with time but still keep some parts original. Happy New Year of 2022 and also let’s welcome our luck and share our happiness boldly.