Guest commentary by Wang Su

When I was little, I would get very excited every year when Chinese New Year was around the corner. At that time, it meant I was going to have the best food of the year, including unlimited supplies of Coke, wear new clothes, and receive red packets from my relatives and my parents’ friends. Believe it or not, Coke was a luxury for special occasions in Beijing in the 1980s. 

I have been a foodie for my entire life. To me, the Chinese New Year is about feasting and spending time with the family. The New Year’s Eve dinner is the biggest thing. Each and every family member should be part of the preparation; and you get as many main courses on the table as you can - pork, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, beef, lamb – you name it. My job is often taking the inside parts of sea cucumbers and making dumplings. When the dinner is ready on the table, it means that the family is indeed together – they make it together, eat it together and probably will clean up the mess together when the dinner is over. 

Before the dinner starts, my family usually holds a short ceremony to remember my maternal and parental grandparents who are in heaven. My parents and I talk to them for a couple of minutes about what has happened in the past year and tell them we miss them. This is not about superstition – life was hard when they were young, we do wish they could be here with us and share the good life we have today. The day is not only about sharing food, but also love. 

The way people celebrate Chinese New Year changes over time, we send greetings and red packets to each other via WeChat nowadays. Doing it virtually is handy, but I prefer to do it in the old-fashioned way to those who are important to me. I like to pay visits to their houses with gifts and say “happy new year” in person. I am going to put big red packets under my parents’ pillows on New Year’s Eve. Please keep the secret for me. I wish everyone a very prosperous Year of the Rooster and some very relaxed time with your loved ones during the Chinese New Year break. 

(Wang Su is a Beijing-based freelance writer. The article reflects the author's opinion, not necessarily view of CGTN)