Chunjie Kuaile!

Just got back from Beijing and on my way to Malaysia, but here's a quick Happy Chinese New Year to you all!

15 Days of Spring Festival

Today is day 13 of the Spring Festival (aka Chinese New Year), which ends on Sunday with the Lantern Festival. To learn more about the Spring Festival and its rich traditions, check here.
We had a wonderful time in Beijing getting together with relatives and friends; and lots of good food and fireworks. I had never seen so many fireworks in Beijing (the prices had come down), the sky was lit up for hours. In two days we can expect the conclusion of it. I also managed to go for a quick 24 km bike ride in the north of Beijing, in the Shangdi area.

Happy Chinese New Year

The Year of the Pig is only a couple days away. I am in Beijing for work, but my family will join me tomorrow and we will celebrate the new year with relatives and friends here with fireworks and good food (pig out). The weather is quite good (11C), so if I can manage to rent or borrow a bike, I'll explore the city and get some good cardio exercise (and sweat like a pig). Because I'll only give up biking when pigs fly!

From my hotel room I can see a few old Siheyuans (a courtyard surrounded by four walls), which are very typical of old Beijing. They are disappearing fast as they are making room for skyscrapers and residential buildings, but there are still plenty around. To read more about this, check Wikipedia.