Hundreds of millions of Chinese geared up to welcome the Year of the Ox last Sunday, packing temple fairs, setting off fireworks and hurrying to crowded train and bus stations to get home for the traditional holiday.
In Beijing and Shanghai, normally busy streets were deserted, with only the odd firecracker going off, though both cities would later sound more like war zones as midnight approached.
Premier Wen Jiabao , who in previous years has spent the holiday with everyone from Aids patients to coal miners, visited survivors of last May's massive earthquake in Sichuan which killed more than 88,000.
'I'm very happy to see how you've all been rebuilding your homes,' Mr Wen told them.
At Beijing's Temple of the Earth, people crowded into a fair featuring everything from break-dancing performances to re-enactments of imperial sacrifices.
Public relations executive Liu Bing, 26, said he was optimistic about the new year.
