The start of February brings the end of the holiday period, fireworks and ... maybe your relationship? Meanwhile, Apple resumes online selling, and the Chinese government has their own answer to the iPad. It's also time again to plan for trips to the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong. Just do not eat on the subway.

We’ve already got a glimpse of Warren Buffet and Shaquille O’Neil on China’s New Year’s gala but they aren’t the only international acts that graced the stage. While Buffet’s song choice probably confused Chinese and foreigners alike, the next song set is full of KTV-worthy tunes just waiting to be sung along to.

If you thought that CCTV held the monopoly on kitschy Spring Festival song and dance numbers, think again. During the days around and on Chinese New Year’s Eve, most major television stations host their own seasonal gala. From Beijing to Hunan, we’ve got Shaq doing kung fu, a “funny magic show” in Guangxi and we even found a rogue presenter.

If you were out with friends on Chinese New Year’s Eve, you probably missed out on watching the five-hour Spring Festival Gala. The CCTV variety show regularly gets mixed reviews from Chinese viewers, and this year was no different. Nearly half of the viewers polled were underwhelmed by the acts. For your sake, then, we've whittled the show down to some of its more memorable highlights, from Warren Buffet on the ukulele to audience reactions to straight-up drag.

If headlines are to be believed, not many people are enjoying the Spring Festival. As Beijing empties out (though seriously, how empty can a city of nearly 20 million get?), bellies growl louder with each restaurant that closes for the break. Travelers, of course, have their own issues to deal with. The only winners we can find in this whole Chunjie chaos are some prisoners in Ningxia.