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Soft and sweet, glutinous rice cakes are a necessity for the Spring Festival among residents in Hudai County, Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Although urbanization has brought many modern things to farmers, buildings for example, the traditional custom of making rice cakes for the Lunar New Year still exists. Snack stores and specialty rice cake shops from all over the county are busy making steamy mouth-watering rice cakes, adding to the festive atmosphere. |
| Lanterns, paper-cuts, couplets and firecrackers are the impressions we have of the Chinese New Year. The most delicate and vividly prosperous item among them all is the art of paper-cutting. Hence, members of the Feng Zuansun Paper-cuts Salon in Yuexiu Community, Binhu District, are getting busy with the Spring Festival approaching. They get together to create paper-cuts that are full of New Year’s cheer with their smart hands.
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 | The Lianxiang Dance is also known as dalianxiang. Two or more dancers tap their back, shoulders, arms and legs with a stick, while singing and jumping. The stick, about 1 meter long, is made of bamboo with five narrow slits inlaid and copper coins between the joints. The stick is also colorfully decorated. Lianxiang Dance used to be one of the dances performed at temple fairs. Now, it is a popular activity for fitness and recreation. |
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The Lantern Festival, also called Shangyuan Festival, is held on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar. According to folk customs, during that evening, every household eats Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) for dinner and hangs lanterns on the house. Therefore, that night is also called "Lantern's Eve".
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 | Junzhang Hill Temple Fair has a history of nearly a thousand years. It is the only temple fair in regions south of the Yangtze River that has the most well preserved incense-offering ritual. While most fairs have turned into places of worldly enjoyments, Junzhang Hill Temple Fair remains sacred for prayers, as its time-honored rituals still exist. |
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The Horse Lantern Dance has been popular for centuries in Mashan (Horse Mountain). Before 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, there were three horse lantern dance troupes among the 3,000-residents of Mashan Island. The Yanmen troupe was adept at the story-telling type; the Guzhu troupe was reputed for their humorous style, while the Gengwan troupe was well known for martial arts. |
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Folk customs during Spring Festival in Huahuang Xuntang Bridge in Huazhuanghas a history of 120 years. Made of Jinshan stones, it spans 5 meters from the south to the north, is 17.2 meters long, and has four bridge ears. The surface of the bridge is paved with stepping stones. The approach spans are built in the shape of "八" (eight). "Wishful water ripples" are carved on the bridge. The arches of the bridge are longitudinally-sectioned parallel structures and are inscribed with a couplet. The region has become a characteristic ancient town south of the Yangtze River. |
 | Nanfangquan town is located at the southern end of Wuxi city, Jiangsu province. Stretching into Taihu Lake, this fertile land boasts a patchwork of rivers and abundant fish and rice. Seven-thousand years ago, the region’s ancestors settled in this ancient town, establishing a rich culture. |
| The craft of making mijiu, or rice wine, in Mashan town has been passed down from generation to generation. In the past, local residents would drink their home-made rice wine to celebrate Spring Festival annually. This alcoholic beverage doesn’t pale in comparison with huangjiu, yellow liquor of Wuxi city in Jiangsu province. |
 | Homemade tuanzi a major hit in Huazhuang Nothing beats a warm, glutinous, tender and delicious tuanzi during a cold winter. Homemade tuanzi, with its decent size and reasonable price, has become a major hit in Huazhuang, reminiscent of the old times. At the Huazhuang community of Binhu district, hundreds of homemade tuanzi shops have sprung up. |
