During the Spring Festival, Xi'an held a series of activities such as lantern shows and temple fairs to attract domestic and overseas visitors to the traditional festival.
“Xi'an is a city with a long history. I am very glad to be in here to experience the most traditional Chinese New Year,” said the ambassador of Morocco to China.
This Spring Festival, Xi'an, which is full of ancient city characteristics, attracted tourists and students from all over the world.
Arina, a Russian student in Chang'an University, said that she not only tasted Xi'an' delicious Spring Festival food but also made dumplings by herself. “I made Russian dumplings filled with beef and shared them with my boy friend and his family members. We were very happy in this Spring Festival.”
This is the fifth year that Jan Kutac, a youth from the Czech Republic, has spent in Xi'an and this year's Spring Festival is the third he has experienced there. As a European "post-80s" with dual Czech and German citizenship, Jan is very interested in the traditional customs of Chinese New Year. He experienced a series of traditional Chinese games such as Cuju (a traditional Chinese football game) and Touhu (a game held during feasts in which the winner is decided by the number of arrows thrown into a distant pot), which gave him an opportunity to learn more about traditional Chinese culture and Chinese New Year.
Mickey, a girl from Iraq, and Liumeng from China are a transnational couple. They are also new Xi'an residents. Thanks to a series of new Hukou policies, Mickey and Liu settled down in Xi’an. On New Year's Eve they invited four overseas students to have a reunion dinner together. “Xi'an is a city that can best demonstrate traditional Chinese New Year customs. More and more visitors spend New Year in Xi'an reflecting the city’s increasing inclusivity,” Mickey added.
“Xi'an is so beautiful and full of new year atmosphere. I enjoy spending Spring Festival in Xi'an,” said a 25 year-old Bangladesh student in Northwestern Polytechnical University. This year is his fourth Chinese New Year in Xi'an. “I have been to many Chinese big cities over the past years. Xi’an is my favorite because it harmonizes ancient and modern styles and has a magnificent night scene,” he said.