Cultural volunteer program gets underway in Beijing village

[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Spring Festival, China's most important festival of the year, will arrive within a week. But people in Liangzhuangzi village in suburban Beijing have already enjoyed the celebration for a while.

The village is in northwest Daxingzhuang town of Beijing's Pinggu district, famous for its hundreds of calligraphers.

On Jan 22, a group of volunteers came to the village, which was already decorated with traditional Chinese holiday decorations such as red lanterns and Chinese knots, to celebrate the launch of a cultural volunteer program organized annually by Beijing culture authorities, the Pinggu district government and the Beijing Culture Volunteers' Service Center.

In addition to providing free Spring Festival decorations, 21 cultural volunteer service centers in Beijing will also tailor special events for residents, such as lantern shows and small parties.

Many cultural events and performances will be offered to disadvantaged groups, including migrant workers and their families, the physically challenged, and seniors.

This is the program's sixth year. This year, about 2,000 volunteers will bring 69 different cultural services to residents in communities and villages, which started on Jan 1 and will last until the Lantern Festival, which falls on Feb 14 this year.