For affluent Chinese family, Spring Festival is chance to see the world
In the final instalment of our four-part series on how people across the spectrum of Chinese society celebrate the Lunar New Year, a family of three shares their travel plans over the festival
Unlike the millions of Chinese people across the country who are spending their entire Lunar New Year holiday back in their hometowns, Cui Di and her family are spending most of it in southern Taiwan.
Travelling to new places is one of the family’s favourite activities. This year, Cui, her husband and eight-year-old daughter are visiting Kenting, Kaohsiung and Tainan after a brief reunion with their relatives in their hometown of Zhengzhou in Henan province.
“We’ve been to the northern part of the island before and this time we’d like to enjoy the scenery and experience the local customs in the south,” said Cui, 45, a stay-at-home mother who lives in Shanghai.
Taiwanese will also be celebrating the Lunar New Year, also know as the Spring Festival, during the family’s five days there, but they are not concerned about the possibility of shops being closed over the holiday. While they have not planned any Lunar New Year-specific activities, Cui said they would be delighted if they encountered any festivities. “Travelling itself is full of various kinds of experience,” she said.
The family are members of China’s increasingly affluent middle class – well educated and exposed to different cultures abroad – for whom travel is an indispensable part of life.
