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Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is celebrated across China and in many parts of Asia and the world where Chinese communities can be found. It is often marked by time off work or school and includes family visits, meals together, and games like mahjong.
How’s your luck in the Year of the Horse’s second month? Feng shui master Andrew Kwan gives his predictions for all 12 Chinese zodiac animal signs. Photo: Shutterstock
Chinese culture

Is Year of the Horse’s second month lucky for you? Forecasts for all 12 zodiac signs

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan breaks down this lunar month’s prospects for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs in health, love, work and finances.

Hong Kong tourism

Chinese New Year boosts Hong Kong visitor numbers in first 2 months of 2026

Taiwan

Video | Taiwan celebrates Lantern Festival with a bang

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s retail sales rise 5.5% in January as tourists loosen purse strings

Census and Statistics Department says retail sales for January worth HK$37.3 billion, marking ninth straight month of growth since May 2025.

A shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Jelly Tse
Trending in China

China worker wins 10-day paid leave on first day back from Spring Festival holiday

Lucky employee enters office, scoops prize at front door, heads back to hometown, says ‘getting up early for work really helps’.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Editorial | Hong Kong wants ecotourism, not overtourism

After incidents of overcrowding at beach campsites during recent holidays, it is encouraging that the authorities are considering a booking system and fees.

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Trending in China

China village event sees 600 men bow in homage to ancestors, ignites gender debate

Major ceremony takes place in area considered the cradle of Chinese ritual culture; critics say patriarchal spectacle is ‘antiquated’.

A Chinese village held a stunning ceremony where 600 men bowed in homage to their ancestors, igniting discussions online about tradition versus patriarchy, as women looked on. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo
China travel

Why China’s travellers spent little, despite rise in Chinese New Year trips

The country logged a record 596 million domestic trips over the extended holiday, but consumers are still reluctant to loosen their purse strings.

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Trending in China

China youth shun ‘nosy’ relatives at Spring Festival, take part-time jobs for cash

Nagging family members, burden of cooking for festive feasts see growing number of people deciding to stay in big cities where they work.

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax, Moonshot top AI token use ranking, ending year of US dominance

AI hosting platform OpenRouter’s latest ranking shows high demand for Chinese open-source models following a series of new releases.

Chinese open-source AI models’ surge to the top of token usage on OpenRouter ended US labs’ reign on the platform’s leaderboard over the past year. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

Why this ancient custom requires kids to ‘sell ignorance’ on Chinese New Year’s Eve

Centuries-old ritual saw children run around outside assailing passers-by after hearty festive feast; tradition also seen as being good for health.

During the Song dynasty, children had a playful tradition on Chinese New Year’s Eve called “selling ignorance”, in which they would run around and shout to free themselves from foolishness and welcome wisdom. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Trending in China

China boss offers US$26 million bonus; staff can pocket bills within set time

Company head says he does not love giving money away, but simply understands the financial struggles his workers face in their daily lives.

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Aviation

Helicopter travel takes off in China during Spring Festival rush

Helicopter services boomed during the Chinese New Year, offering fast travel and new routes across different cities.

Robotics

Editorial | As China takes to robots, human touch needed more than ever

Amid the excitement over the humanoid performers at the Spring Festival Gala, it must be remembered that robotic advances should complement human welfare.

Robots perform during China Central Television’s Spring Festival Gala 2026 on February 16. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong visitor numbers jump for Chinese New Year holiday as gold sales shine

But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year.

Tourists enjoy the harbourfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Sam Tsang
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Trump is abducted by aliens and has Chinese ‘twin’ in chaotic Cantonese opera

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite.

China stock market

China’s top court backs legal action against corrupt firms amid equity rally

The court’s initiative marks ‘a positive sign that the market would sustain its upward momentum’, hedge fund manager Zhou Ling says.

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China consumption

Ne Zha 2 hangover? China’s Lunar New Year box office plunges to 6-year low

China’s holiday box office fell nearly 40 per cent year on year as studios failed to find a breakout hit to match last year’s Ne Zha 2.

People line up to enter a cinema in north China’s Tianjin. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

AI apps soar in China as Lunar New Year giveaway battle boosts user growth

Tech firms score win as AI assistants become part of holiday consumption – from buying food and booking travel to planning entertainment.

China consumption

China’s weak consumption gets Lunar New Year boost

An 8.6 per cent increase in Lunar New Year spending is a rare bright spot in Chinese efforts to bolster domestic demand.

China travel

Chinese tourism to Japan plunges 50% over Lunar New Year as Thailand cashes in

Thailand was the top destination for China’s outbound travellers over the extended holiday, with tourists avoiding Japan amid rising tensions.

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A lion dance troupe performs for tourists in Bangkok’s Chinatown during the Lunar New Year holiday. Thailand was the most popular destination for China’s outbound travellers during the holiday. Photo: EPA
China travel

‘Chinese everywhere’: why tourists ditch Tokyo for Seoul as Japan ties sour

Diplomatic row with Japan sent more Chinese travellers packing for Korea, filling its hotels over the nine-day holiday and offering relief to a sluggish domestic economy.

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Visitors wear traditional Korean attire in Seoul on February 17. South Korea saw a sharp influx of Chinese tourists over the Lunar New Year holiday period that ended on Monday. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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Ant Group

Ant’s AQ health app tops 100 million users amid holiday surge

Growth comes as China’s ageing population fuels demand for AI-assisted health monitoring tools.

China consumption

Boom or bust? China’s Lunar New Year spending data is in – here is what we know

Initial figures show record travel, shifting spending patterns and a weak box office.

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Customers choose mobile phones at a consumer electronics store in Zaozhuang, east China’s Shandong province, on Saturday. Local authorities rolled out a series of stimulus programmes and policies to help boost consumer spending during the holiday. Photo: Xinhua
Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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A tourist interacts with a lion dance performer in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Thailand, on Monday. Photo: EPA
Robotics

Opinion | Humans vs robots? China begs to disagree

As China embraces humanoid robots, policymakers and companies are expanding the scope of innovation and applications in daily life.

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Hong Kong environmental issues

Calls for better supervision of Hong Kong’s campsites after areas inundated

While authorities have stepped up patrols in recent days, improvements in public education and limits on crowds needed, campers and hikers say.

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