Mainlanders celebrated the Year of the Rabbit with fireworks and festive activities that included special relief for flood victims and laid-off workers.
Lunar New Year's Day also marked the inauguration of Guangzhou's underground railway.
Flood victims in Baicheng, Jilin province, received special shipments of food from local military units, yesterday's Guangming Daily reported.
More than 100,000 laid-off workers in Hebei province were given free food in addition to their monthly allowances of 480 yuan (HK$446) for living expenses, Xinhua said.
Emergency help lines were set up in major cities for the holiday.
In Yangzi, near Wuhan, help line numbers offering free gas and water services were published in newspapers. Some social services offices stayed open round the clock, providing help ranging from on-site repairs to medical treatment.
