Eight dishes the bare minimum

People in Northeast China attach great importance to the Spring Festival Eve dinner. The meal is more luxurious than usual, with at least eight dishes on the table. Families, especially the women, take more than half a day to prepare it.

At around 4 pm, all family members sit around the table and enjoy the big meal together.

The New Year's Eve dinner is more luxurious than usual in Northeast China.

Chicken, fish and ribs are essential. People like to eat chicken and fish, for in Chinese, their pronunciations, respectively "ji" and "yu", mean auspicious and abundance.

Besides, some local foods are an absolute must, such as suancai paigu (pickled Chinese cabbage stewed with ribs) and xiaoji dun mogu (chicken stewed with mushroom).

After the dinner, the whole family will sit together, chatting and watching the CCTV New Year's Eve gala.

At 11 pm, the whole family will get busy all over again, chopping meat and vegetables to make different fillings and kneading dough to make jiaozi, or dumplings.

When the clock strikes 12 to announce the arrival of the New Year, many households will set off fireworks and eat jiaozi.

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of eating out on New Year's Eve, particularly in the cities.

For example, E Nan, who works in a real estate company in Jilin Province, will spend the Lunar New Year with her in-laws for the first time. "I'm not a good cook. Preparing a rich dinner is a challenge for me and so I am suggesting that we eat out," E said.

Editor: Lency