Chinese New Year, better known as Spring Festival, is like any major holiday – it can be fantastic to celebrate if you have people with whom to celebrate it, or it can be a dull time when everything’s closed. Luckily, most businesses are now only closed for about 36 hours, with many more people, especially young people, cutting their home visits short or choosing to stay in town and hang.
There’s another important holiday in February, one that may bring someone foolish enough to forget it even more grief than if they didn’t come home for Spring Festival with a handful of hong bao. That’s Valentine’s Day, which regardless of the movements of the moon falls on February 14. This year, the lunar calendar will be tearing fewer couples asunder, arriving far enough ahead of the other holiday that there’s still time for plenty of romance.
In this issue, we look at ways to make the most of both holidays. There’s a round-up of Beijing’s best staycations, romantic getaways right here in the heart of the city, and a look at how lovers can expect to fare during the Year of the Goat/Ram/Sheep. And we take a look at seven wonderful things to do during Chinese New Year: temple fairs, a winter nature walk, and more.
Elsewhere inside, along with our usual assortment of new restaurants, bars, clubs, and venues, is an interview with Michael Gira of Swans, who talks about infinity and his early prowess as a baseball player. China’s Nobel Prize for Literature winner Mo Yan is back with his latest novel, Frog, and we couldn’t wait to read it. And to while away the hours during the holiday, learn about Chinese drinking games, and how to play them, even if you don’t speak much Chinese.
From all of us here at the Beijinger, we wish you 新年快乐，万事如意! (That’s Happy New Year and all that stuff.)
Download the issue here or view this issue on Issuu.com here.
Image: The Beijinger
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