Anyone living in China already knows that the year of the rabbit is in full swing, due in no small part to the rabbit decorations everywhere and the incessant week of fireworks that always rings in a new lunar year. Most Chinese take the opportunity to travel back to their hometowns, marking what has become the largest migration of humans in the world each year around the first week of February. Most expats in China choose to travel as well, and if you’ve spent one year in China over the new year (Spring Festival 春节, in Chinese), you know that the non-stop fireworks are enough to drive you absolutely mad.
As my perhaps less than tactful Chinese tutor explained, “It’s like being in Iraq.” Not exactly, but the sentiment is there…
Check out this incredibly sweet video that, while it glamourizes the fireworks (and gives a bit of a history lesson).
2011: The Year of the Rabbit from Jonah Kessel on Vimeo.
If you’re visiting Shanghai during the year of the rabbit, let us know, and we’ll help you plan private culinary tours, or just anything else you can think of!
Leave a Reply