Fresh start, old tradition

Food is a driving force behind Chinese New Year celebrations. Dong Fangyu explores how to eat your way through the holidays.

Americans have their Super Bowl, the annual football feast that keeps a nation transfixed, and Chinese have their eight great bowls, a meal tradition that used to hold national sway, but which has become less and less common.

Just as the American game has gained wings - more than 100 million people are said to have watched the latest event on Feb 1 - some chefs in China are now looking to breathe new life into the revered eight great bowls. As Spring Festival is just around the corner, high-end hotels in Beijing are coming up with novel ideas for resurrecting traditional Chinese food culture to attract customers.