This Day, That Year

Item from Feb 1, 1984, in China Daily: Beijingers make last-minute purchases for the holiday dinner at the Xinfeng Supermarket in Chaoyang district.

Across the country, many families are busy preparing for important reunion dinners as part of the upcoming Spring Festival celebrations.

Apart from swarming to well-stocked supermarkets, more consumers are also shopping online for the family celebrations. In mid-January, e-commerce giant Alibaba launched a "Chinese New Year Shopping Festival" offering imported goods from 25 countries and regions. Its competitor, JD.com, has also rolled out Spring Festival promotions, offering products ranging from food and beverages to baby and maternity items.