New year's webolutions
To celebrate Spring Festival , there is a place where many young Chinese
choose to go. Once there, you can light fireworks with a click rather than a
lighter, and you can enjoy electronic jiaozi dumplings of different flavors.
Where is the magic place? It is the Internet in which major websites provide
Spring-Festival-themed interactive communities, programs and services to
hundreds of thousands of netizens in the country.
A netizen in Beijing who calls himself Feiyu said he would spend the
Chinese New Year Eve in the online communities with his friends.
"We will play with Spring Festival couplets, light red lanterns, go to the temple fair and appreciate Spring Festival pictures.
"Then I will enter chat rooms to say 'Happy New Year' and chat while waiting
for the New Year bells," he said.
As the number of netizens on the Chinese mainland reached 137 million by the
end of last year, not everyone is convinced that the Internet should become a
focal point for Spring Festival celebrations.
Online communities
Experts in Chinese custom are divided in their opinions as to whether
celebrating online is in keeping with the spirit of festivities.
As participating in the Spring Festival online becomes a new trend among
young people, customs expert Xu Yiyi is concerned that some established
practices may be forgotten.
"I am worried that our traditional Spring Festival custom will be challenged
and put aside as young people seek fresh things online."
However, as millions commute to spend the holiday with family, another expert
said that the Internet is simply another way for people to connect.
"Internet just changes some people's way to spend the holiday while keeping
its essence of family reunion," Tao Siyan said.
"As society develops and changes, it is natural to have
new and different ways to celebrate our Spring Festival."
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