In the land of red lanterns

Expat Siva Sankar shares diary excerpts of spending his first Spring Festival in China.

Since arriving from motherland India in September 2015, I have been working and living in Beijing. On Feb 6, a couple of days before the onset of the Year of the Monkey, I embark on a four-day trip to Shanghai, and a chance to see how life turns vibrant in China around the Lunar New Year's Day.

Festivities begin