New year's webolutions
To celebrate Spring Festival, there is a place where many young Chinese choose to go. Once there, you can light fireworks with a click rather than a lighter, and you can enjoy electronic jiaozi dumplings of different flavors.
Where is the magic place? It is the Internet in which major websites provide Spring-Festival-themed interactive communities, programs and services to hundreds of thousands of netizens in the country.
A netizen in Beijing who calls himself Feiyu said he would spend the Chinese New Year Eve in the online communities with his friends.
"We will play with Spring Festival couplets, light red lanterns, go to the temple fair and appreciate Spring Festival pictures.
"Then I will enter chat rooms to say 'Happy New Year' and chat while waiting for the New Year bells," he said.
As the number of netizens on the Chinese mainland reached 137 million by the end of last year, not everyone is convinced that the Internet should become a focal point for Spring Festival celebrations.
Online communities
Experts in Chinese custom are divided in their opinions as to whether celebrating online is in keeping with the spirit of festivities.
As participating in the Spring Festival online becomes a new trend among young people, customs expert Xu Yiyi is concerned that some established practices may be forgotten.
"I am worried that our traditional Spring Festival custom will be challenged and put aside as young people seek fresh things online."
However, as millions commute to spend the holiday with family, another expert said that the Internet is simply another way for people to connect.
"Internet just changes some people's way to spend the holiday while keeping its essence of family reunion," Tao Siyan said.
"As society develops and changes, it is natural to have new and different ways to celebrate our Spring Festival."
According to sohu.com, one of China's leading websites, online communities can offer netizens a fresh approach to Spring Festival, and fireworks, jiaozi and Lion Dance are now in amazing audio-visual electronic form.
People who cannot go home during the important festival are major participants in such communities.
"I felt at home," said Xiaobei, a netizen.
"It was like revisiting my childhood in the communities last Spring Festival."
Apart from the interactive communities, heavyweight websites organize all kinds of events to celebrate the traditional holiday.
Co-organized by 20 sites including sohu.com, sina.com, netease.com and 15 media divisions such as Xinhua News Agency, Beijing Daily and the Beijing People Broadcasting Station, a 10-day text message competition was launched earlier this month in Beijing.
Statistics show the event has attracted more than 300,000 respondents to suggest and vote for outstanding text messages of New Year wishes.
Everyone is a star
At the same time, some websites vie with each other in organizing online "Spring Festival galas" to challenge the 24-year-old CCTV New Year's Eve gala.
Yoqoo.com, a major online video-sharing site in China, has launched the selection for its 2007 Video Spring Festival Gala. More than 180 videos have been chosen.
The event's organizer Zhu Xiangyang said more Chinese are choosing the Internet as a platform for social interaction during Spring Festival.
"Why not use the Internet to create a new Spring Festival gala in which much more people can be involved?" Zhu asked.
According to official statistics, urban residents aged between 16 and 35 make up the largest group of Chinese netizens.
It has become a tradition for hundreds of millions to watch CCTV's Spring Festival Gala on every New Year's Eve, which debuted in 1983.
However, the TV show has drawn complaints that it is outdated and involves only famous professional performers who have to follow rules set by the show's organizers.
Participants in the online gala have much freedom to produce creative and funny videos, Zhu said. "Here, everybody can be the director, actor or actress and producer."
Sina.com, a major portal in Chinese language, recently started the collection of excellent works for the First China Podcasting Spring Festival Gala.
Its organizers received more than 5,000 respondents including almost 100 entertainment stars.
Except for traditional programs like xiangsheng crosstalks, most of the works focus on re-production of pop songs, funny imitation of films and TV shows, said the organizers.
Online shopping
As online shopping flourishes across the country, more and more people have turned to the Internet to get everything ready for the holiday.
Ren Ya, 25, an office lady in Beijing, bought gifts for her parents online before going back to her hometown in East China's Anhui Province.
"Doing online shopping could save me time, energy and even money," she said.
In order to meet big market demand, taobao.com, China's largest online consumer-to-consumer marketplace, opened its first platform of nianhuo (items connected with the Spring Festival such as candies, nuts and local specialties).
The website's public relations officer surnamed Lu said: "With this platform, our customers can buy anything they want at anytime."
(China Daily 02/16/2007 page20)
