When I was growing up in Australia, the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year (autumn in the southern hemisphere) was something of an oddity. Many Australian families’ experience of it was being given a calendar with one of the 12 zodiac symbols from their local Chinese restaurant. I remember ours would usually hang near the kitchen table. I learned early on that my Dad was a Dragon, Mum was a Horse, my brother a Tiger and I was a Rat. If you lived in a city like Sydney, or went to a part of town where the Chinese community was prominent, you’d see a bit more of a festival atmosphere. There was a parade with a dragon or a lion, some colorful clothes and loud drums were marking the festivities, but nothing like the fanfare of today.
With the rise of China’s national strength, the Chinese New Year has a more important place in the global calendar. These days, families from many different backgrounds take part in events all over the world and celebrate together. The scale is now enormous by comparison, with huge and prominent celebrations in many of the world’s major cities and some of its most famous monuments reflecting the occasion, like the Empire State Building in New York, the Tokyo Tower in Japan, the “London Eye” in the UK, the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, and the Burj Khalifa in the UAE. Vast fireworks displays and building decorations are accompanied by networks of food stalls and performances highlighting traditional Chinese culture.
While most people think of China in terms of expanding industrial or economic development, it is important to remember that China is an ancient civilization, with a long cultural legacy. Chinese culture is vast and complex, absorbing a wide range of historical experiences and China’s own regional and ethnic diversity. China and its culture continue to open up to new participants, a major reason why increasing numbers of students are taking part in Chinese language courses, and even putting themselves to the test through the HSK exam. These new learners are sure to act as a bridge between China and the world. One of my best experiences in China was as an elementary Mandarin student in the University of Macao’s Confucius Institute where we marked the coming of the new year by writing calligraphy with the Mao Bi, a traditional paintbrush. The experience taught us patience and to focus on the good things in the present as well as those to come.