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 January 26, 2009 (Use j/k keys to navigate)   Email to a friend    Permalink

Chinese New Year - Welcoming the Ox

Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, met with celebrations and observations by ethnic Chinese and others around the world. This year, we welcome the Year of the Ox, the sign representing solemn hard work and prosperity - an animal that appears aptly symbolic for these difficult times. Millions of people traveled long distances to be with family during this Spring Festival, choking transit systems in China especially. Collected here are photographs of people celebrating and preparing for this Lunar New Year festivities. (35 photos total)

A woman walks under red lanterns at a shopping mall in Shanghai January 16, 2009. Red decorations are customarily used by Chinese people all over the world to usher in the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 26 this year. The Year of the Ox is celebrated this year. (REUTERS/Aly Song)

2
Chinese New Year celebrations begin in Liverpool, north west England on January 25, 2009. The city's Chinatown is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, with many of the original members of the community arriving as seamen in the nineteenth century. (PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

3
Steam and smoke engulf visitors to Longtan Park from stalls cooking food during a fair celebrating Chinese New Year in Beijing January 25, 2009. (REUTERS/David Gray) #

4
Passengers holding stools line up to buy tickets in front of a railway station in Kunming, Yunnan province, China on January 16, 2009. China warned on Thursday that the mass migration home over the Chinese New Year holiday would be especially hard due to lack of train tickets and told rail officials to "use their brains" to ensure things run smoothly. (REUTERS/Stringer) #

5
Passengers are seen crammed inside a carriage of a train at a railway station in Lanzhou, Gansu province, China on January 21, 2009. (REUTERS/Stringer). #

6
A man lights candles in a temple during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations to mark the Year of the Ox in Chinatown in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 26, 2009. (REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni) #

7
Performers take part in the opening ceremony of a temple fair on the eve of Chinese New Year in Beijing, China, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. Temple fairs opened across the city as Chinese prepared to celebrate the year of the Ox. (AP Photo/ Elizabeth Dalziel) #

8
A woman burns incense and prays for good fortune at the Baiyun Temple in Beijing on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year January 26, 2009. (JASON LEE/Reuters) #

9
A Chinese man prays at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 26, 2009. (REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad) #

10
An elderly couple sits under lantern sculptures of mandarin orange trees as they gather to usher in the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Singapore on Saturday Jan. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) #

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A man peers out from his costume during the opening ceremony for the Ditan Temple Fair in Beijing on January 25, 2009. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #

12
A woman, center, photographs performers at the opening ceremony of a temple fair on the eve of Chinese New Year in Beijing, China, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel) #

13
Fireworks illuminate the skyline as people celebrate the Year of the Ox in Beijing, China on January 26, 2008. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #

14
Buddhists rush to stick incense sticks in an urn at a local Chinese Buddhist temple on Monday Jan. 26, 2009 in Singapore. Every year, hundreds of Buddhist believers gather at a temple where they will vie to place their incense sticks in an urn at midnight marking an auspicious start to the Chinese lunar new year. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) #

15
Fireworks to celebrate the Chinese New Year light up the sky above Beijing, China on January 26, 2009. Chinese welcomed the arrival of the Year of the Ox with raucous celebrations on Sunday despite gloom about the economy, setting off firecrackers in the streets and sending fireworks into the sky. (REUTERS/Reinhard Krause) #

16
Two men launch a hot-air lantern to send New Year's wishes up to the sky in front of the Hanoi Opera House during Lunar New Year celebrations in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) #

17
People watch fireworks to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Tianjin, China on January 25, 2009. (REUTERS/Vincent Du) #

18
Local residents crowd into Lung Shan Temple in Taipei on January 26, 2009 to offer prays for the new Lunar New Year. (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images) #

19
A performer smokes a cigarette during a break from a show celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year at a temple fair in Beijing January 24, 2009. (REUTERS/Christina Hu) #

20
A man prepares fireworks at a temple to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Hefei, Anhui province, China on January 26, 2009. (REUTERS/Jianan Yu) #

21
Artists dressed in Qing Dynasty costumes take part in a performance to worship heaven and pray for good harvests, at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China on January 26, 2009, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dyansties would traditionally pray for bumper crops twice a year. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #

22
Women perform during the opening ceremony of the temple fair at Ditan Park in Bejing, China on January 25, 2009. (REUTERS/Reinhard Krause) #

23
An inmate waves a balloon during a ceremony to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival at the Chuanxi Prison on January 24, 2009 in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China. A total of 500 inmates who behave well in prisons in Sichuan Province are allowed to spend the Chinese New Year at home. (China Photos/Getty Images) #

24
A visitor uses a mobile phone to take photographs of a giant lantern in the shape of an ox in Tianjin Municipality, China on January 23, 2009. (REUTERS/Vincent Du) #

25
A man sorts dumplings in a kitchen at a village in Daxing, south of Beijing, China on Saturday Jan. 24, 2009. Villagers gathered Saturday to make thousands of meat dumplings in preparation for a feast to celebrate Chinese New Year, which begins Monday. (AP Photo/Greg Baker) #

26
A man puts the finishing touches on a statue in front of a temple at the Chinatown district in Singapore ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration on January 17, 2009. (ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images) #

27
A Muslim woman maintains her tangerine trees, imported from China, as she waits for customers at her roadside stall in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 23, 2009. Tangerine trees are only sold once a year in Jakarta for the Chinese New Year. (REUTERS/Enny Nuraheni) #

28
Earthquake survivors have their Chinese New Year Eve's dinner at their temporary house settlement in Yingxiu town, in southwest China's Sichuan province Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. (AP Photo) #

29
A Chinese man recites prayers at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 18, 2009. (REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad) #

30
A boy runs through shadows cast from Chinese lanterns hanging at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 18, 2009. (REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad) #

31
An actor dressed as the Chinese God of Fortune poses outside a shopping mall in Hong Kong on January 14, 2009 as part of the sales promotion for the upcoming Chinese Year of Ox starting January 26. (REUTERS/Bobby Yip) #

32
Workers put up decorations made of red lanterns at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 13, 2009. (REUTERS/Zainal Abd Halim) #

33
South Koreans, who fled to from North to South Korea during the Korean War, kneel behind a wire border fence and bow in front of delicacies offered to their parents and relatives in North Korea to celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Imjingak Pavilion, near the border village of Panmunjom, north of Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) #

34
Chen Ting, a Beijing Opera artiste from the Jiangsu Art Group of China, applies make-up for a Chinese Spring Festival performance at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta, Malta on January 19, 2009, ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations on January 26. (REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi) #

35
The moon passes in front of the sun, during a partial solar eclipse, as it sets over Manila Bay, in the Philippines on January 26, 2009. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco) #
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Thank you very much for all those who made his wonderful presentation posssible! I like it very much, especially the photo No.19.

Posted by Teresa Fu Barreto from Portugal January 31, 09 05:32 AM
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nice picture

Posted by rim January 31, 09 07:20 AM
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The manila Bay eclipse (#35) is my new desktop back ground. The pictures are wonderful. Thank you and Happy New Year to all!

Posted by Dan D January 31, 09 09:14 AM
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Beautiful pictures. Enjoyed ALL of them. So colorful.

Posted by Yvonne January 31, 09 10:53 AM
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VERY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!

Gong Xi Fat Chai
Kung Hei Fat Choy
Xin Nian Khuai Lek
Wan Se Ru Yi

Posted by Anto Cheyn January 31, 09 12:34 PM
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I am really touched by #33 where the folks paid respect to their parents and ancestors from South Korea.

Posted by Maria from US January 31, 09 12:44 PM
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Please NOTE that to the world --- NOT everyone goes to the TEMPLE is Buddhist ! Those temple-goers may be Buddhist, Taoist, Sky / Heaven Worshippers, Deity Worshippers, or simply lay persons.

Posted by Eddy Au (Sydney, Australia) January 31, 09 06:09 PM
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Hello,
Michaela here again.
The colour in these pictures is so vivid. Truly inspiring! I almost feel I am there myself! I particularly like the performer smoking a cigarette - and I hate cigarettes, but it makes it so real! Thank you so much!

Posted by Michaela Ashby January 31, 09 06:37 PM
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my favorite was the last picture of the partial eclipse and of the woman with the make up for her performance.

Posted by Anonymous January 31, 09 08:53 PM
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Magnifiques photos, un grand moment de plaisir, couleurs, compositions un véritable régal

Posted by gilbert tourgis February 1, 09 03:42 AM
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A New year is MORE new-year like in north China than in South, and more in countryside than in the big cities. Traditions never die!
Best wishes to all in the year of OX! GONG XI FA CAI!

Posted by Duan at Xiamen, China February 1, 09 04:28 AM
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What a impression!!

Posted by Judy February 1, 09 08:46 AM
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pictures 29,30,33, and 35 are amazing. I especially like the story of two people praising their ancestors. There's something very personal to that. It evokes a feeling of warmth and intimacy, it's an action you feel, and not just do. The little boy running in his colored socks is especially joyous; youth's work at it's best :)

Posted by Nick L February 1, 09 09:46 AM
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Wonderful pictures!!!

Posted by A. Masalaysay February 1, 09 02:12 PM
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beautiful pictures,Happy New Year to everybody!!!

Posted by Romina Roxas February 1, 09 04:49 PM
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Temple of Heaven in Beijing is beautiful. Proud to be a part of this ancient & colorful culture.

Posted by Corinne February 1, 09 05:37 PM
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Its wonderful to see how different peoples around the world celebrate their holidays. Here in America, I'm afraid we've gotten away from those customs. So sad to admit that, but its true.
Gorgeous pictures, thank you so much for sharing.

Posted by Terri February 1, 09 06:34 PM
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WOW! the photogarphy was simply fantastic. Happy New Year to all

Posted by Philip Thomas February 1, 09 08:21 PM
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Thank you for sharing.
"Prosperity is measured not by the wealth you have,
But by the generosity you possess."

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous Chinese Lunar New Year

Posted by Jane Vong Holmes, Kuala Lumpur February 1, 09 09:12 PM
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Great..!! nice short..

Posted by Tohbas February 1, 09 09:39 PM
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Oh .....Beautiful, beautiful ...wonderful and yet again wonderful.
Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. Wishing all a prosperous and happy lunar Chinese New Year.

Posted by G.T.Tjoa February 1, 09 11:39 PM
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That's China!

Posted by gropius February 2, 09 12:12 AM
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such a nice photo..

Posted by Mark Chuah February 2, 09 03:17 AM
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Miss these kind of ambience,events and shows in Montreal(quebec)!!!

Posted by hng February 2, 09 08:12 AM
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Excellent pictures, good culture for the Chinese returning home to pay respect to their parents/elders during Lunar New Year (pictures #4,#5) but these scenery will soon disappear when booking Train tickets on lines and when China completes their fast train (350 km per hour)

Posted by soetadi Limin February 2, 09 09:11 AM
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Steve,
Although I have not spoken to you in years, these pictures are worth a conversation! WOW!

Posted by Scot Miller February 2, 09 09:35 AM
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Absolutely unbelievable. No wonder the Olympics were fantastic.

Posted by elaine.lucas February 2, 09 03:25 PM
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Nice photos!ºÃͼƬ!

Posted by Õźã±ó February 2, 09 08:27 PM
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Outstanding, memorable photos. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Posted by Emil Fischer February 3, 09 01:18 AM
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I have never in my long life seen a more wonderful collection of pictures that are such glorious examples of China and its people.....

Posted by Charra DeMarco February 3, 09 04:27 AM
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From Las Vegas: These are wonderful photographs. Thank you for sharing with everyone in the world. For us who never get to see the rest of the world these photographs are priceless. It lets us appreciate our world more and hopefully opens our hearts for better understanding and tolerance of each other. Happy New Year to all in China.

Posted by JOAN February 3, 09 03:18 PM
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Amazing pictures!

Posted by Irene February 3, 09 03:22 PM
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BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF DIFFERENT CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS....EXCELLENT JOB...WELL DONE...

Posted by M. HUEY February 3, 09 03:27 PM
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Great photography. The new year captured well. Cheers !

Posted by EccA February 3, 09 04:31 PM
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Those are the most colorful and amazing pictures I have seen in a long time. Kudos to the photog.

Posted by Tina Filkins February 3, 09 10:17 PM
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How beautiful these pictures are! I am one of the fortunate ones who was able to visit the People's Republic and have a scrap book of pictures to prove it! If you go, be sure and make arrangements to travel in a small party, the extra cost is worth it!

Posted by Oregon, USA February 3, 09 10:27 PM
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The eclipse is stunning! One of the best photos I've seen in a long time. INSPIRING!

Posted by LORI February 3, 09 10:52 PM
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15 and 35 nice

Posted by lai February 4, 09 12:33 AM
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One of the best collections I can remember. Great job!!
Wishing everyone on this planet a year of peace, happiness and prosperity.

Posted by eddie February 4, 09 09:01 AM
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fantastic!!

Posted by Evadeane Peters February 4, 09 09:45 AM
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Bless us all! Let the beauty transcend the year!

Posted by shee February 4, 09 12:43 PM
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Excellent Photos that captured the Spirit of the OX Chinese New Year!

Posted by Wh Hh February 4, 09 01:03 PM
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Saluton al la tutaj ge-esperantistoj kiu logas en Chinio !
fom Jane in Cumbria, England

Posted by Jane Rayner February 4, 09 04:03 PM
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Dear Talented Photographers:
Thank you all for all the exquisite and memorable photographs you took during the Chinese New Year of Ox. They are especially memorable and extra special to all overseas Chinese like myself who left China many years ago. I appreciate all your diligent hard work to compile them together so we can enjoy all year round and share with all my Chinese friends and relatives. Thank you again for your effort and hard work! May this Year of Ox brings you the best of health, happiness and prosperity!!! Marianne Lam from Los Angeles, CA.

Posted by Marianne Lam February 4, 09 04:04 PM
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Wonderful photographs! This is my year, as I was born in 1961!!

Posted by Monica Pileggi February 4, 09 05:09 PM
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FABULOUS DISPLAY OF CHINESE CULTURE AND COLOR...
CONGRATULATIONS!!

Posted by Milton Barragan-Dumet from Quito ECUADOR February 4, 09 05:54 PM
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thank you the best I have ever seen

Posted by ramlad in canada February 4, 09 08:13 PM
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Belaj fotoj! Pacan jaron kaj estonton deziras al ĉiuj Stephen, Anglio.

Posted by Stephen Thompson February 5, 09 05:23 AM
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EXCELENTES FOTOS, ME ENCANTARON!!!!!!
SALUDOS DESDE MONTERREY, N.L. MEXICO

Posted by ELVE February 5, 09 04:19 PM
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Beautiful pictures. Bless you for compiling all these wonderful pictures!

Posted by Rosettie Lam February 5, 09 08:38 PM
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Excellent pictures of the comemoration of the year of thr Ox

Posted by Stefan Horvath February 5, 09 08:50 PM
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Amazing. Thanks for all these photos. It's truely a great gift to Chinese people overseas. While most of these photos show the cheerful side about the Chinese New Year, the one taken at the border of S/N Korea is very heart touching. Also, I really like the last one with the partial eclips.

Posted by Tom Chan (Toronto, Canada) February 5, 09 09:40 PM
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Great Work and many thanks for sharing.
Happy Chinese New Year to all of you.

from K.arman Tani,St.Louis,Missouri,USA

Posted by K.Tani February 5, 09 10:36 PM
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Touching! All the best to the coming new year!

Posted by Lynn February 5, 09 11:05 PM
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nice pics

Posted by paul lum February 6, 09 12:56 AM
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fantastica Cina Happy Year of the Ox

Posted by Maria Luisa February 6, 09 02:47 AM
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very nice!

Posted by Ovidiu February 6, 09 04:15 PM
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nice pics. i love u rock

Posted by crystal February 6, 09 05:40 PM
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WOW ..... GEORGOUS!!!!! .... OUTSTANDING Pictures ... the one taken at the border of S/N Korea is very touching ... I appreciate your hard work and ...
Happy Chinese Lunar New Year and May this year of OX brings us all the best of health,happiness and prosperity!!

Posted by B.T The February 6, 09 07:53 PM
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Beautiful displays! being the 3rd generaion Californian of Chinese descent, I am impressed by the celerbation each year. My grandparents immigrated from China to California in 1860 and all of their eleven children were born in California from 1876 to 1907.

Posted by Stanford S. Lee February 6, 09 07:59 PM
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#33 Touched my heart... All the photos, just amazing...

Posted by Dorothy February 6, 09 11:41 PM
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The richness of the Chinese culture makes these amazing photos!!!
They are treasures....
Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!!!
Happy New Year of the OX!!!

Posted by C. Law February 7, 09 03:54 PM
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The Pictures are just so vibrant and breathless to see the array of the chinese culture all over the world. Its so emotional to see my own hometown ( Kuala Lumpur) when you're in Toronto, Canada.

Posted by Kim Liu February 7, 09 05:51 PM
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Absolutely fantastic color and composition--probably the finest I have ever seen!
It is distressing to have demonstrated again how little we in the west know and understand of Chinese culture.

Posted by Connie and George Ritch February 7, 09 10:31 PM
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The ox is my symbol and so this was truley amazing for me to see.
Amanda(USA)

Posted by Anonymous February 8, 09 01:42 AM
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A lot of rich, fat and wasteful Chinese; I will not save any food for them again

Posted by Frank Gildner February 8, 09 09:20 AM
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great photos.great celebration!

Posted by ptlow February 9, 09 02:37 AM
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Wonderful pictures, great work. Thank you for sharing these great pictures with the world.
Happy New Year of the Ox !

Posted by KT Leong February 9, 09 04:21 AM
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The pictures showed the dynamics of this important season for our Chinese friends. Thanks for sharing them.

Posted by Monica from South Africa February 9, 09 05:01 AM
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Fantastic shots! Great photography! Thanks for the memories.

Posted by Michael Soo-Chan February 9, 09 05:56 AM
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What What What a a a beutiful beutiful beutiful picture picture picture yay yay yay yayayayayayayayyayayaayayayayayyayayayayayaya

Posted by Henry February 9, 09 08:43 PM
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Beautiful amd amazing pictures. Makes me proud of my background and culture

Posted by Allen Pang February 10, 09 05:28 PM
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Absolutely beautiful pictures. They are inspiring photographs.

Posted by Patrick Kelley February 10, 09 06:28 PM
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Wow! What a difference 15 years makes! Shanghai 1992-93. Hainan Island to Kunming to Dali to Kashkar to Xian to Chungdo to Beijing to Nanjing to Jinan to Hong Kong to Guanzhou, etc. etc........ Great places........ Great memories..........

Posted by Barney Anderson February 10, 09 11:46 PM
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WOW..... GREAT IMAGES.

Posted by EARLE WONG February 11, 09 07:27 PM
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that's the true China,the true chinese culture.

we hope more friends aroud the world to travel to china. you will know more about the mordern China and Chinese traditional culture. you will find most of chinese are friendly.

Posted by leo Xiao from Shanghai China February 12, 09 10:22 PM
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I miss it so much, wish I can go back to celebrate chinese new year in any city

Posted by yen tsai wei February 16, 09 10:07 PM
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wonderful pictures! very well done, I enjoy all of them, thank you !

Posted by Lily Liu February 17, 09 03:50 PM
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Great pics very beautiful,happy new years

Posted by Larry February 17, 09 09:04 PM
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It's wonderful to see the celebrations in Taiwan.

Posted by Dan February 18, 09 05:42 AM
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TYhank you.These pictures were well taken and intertesting subjects and supposed the photogragher must have taken a lot of patience to captured those interesting moments of life and the only happen once a yeay of celebrations.

Posted by GUAN TECK ONG February 18, 09 02:49 PM
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Great Pictures

Posted by Charlie February 19, 09 06:48 AM
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As always, there are some weirdos in a public forum where anyone can express their feelings. That's the way it is in this world. Fortunately they are the minority.

Posted by WING February 20, 09 03:50 AM
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Maravillosas fotos!.

Posted by Blanca. Buenos Aires. Argentina February 21, 09 10:03 PM
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A truly documentary photos of the Chinese New year. Vivid color of the pictures
were assisted by using photoshop . Great effort of capturing such an occassion in photos. Well done

Posted by laikum2005 February 22, 09 06:21 PM
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maravillosas

Posted by fdg February 22, 09 06:26 PM
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More people should see these pictures. They would get a better understanding how other countries celebrate a New Year.
These scenes were absolutely astounding.
Don

Posted by Don Labbe February 23, 09 10:20 AM
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muito lindo George o ano novo Chinês, tudo bem organizado
mais lindo do que o carnaval do Brasil que tem tanta repercução
lá fora, emocionante, parabéns para vocês que é de lá , tudo lá é mais
bonito. beijos

Posted by Ivonete February 26, 09 08:13 PM
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very good

Posted by Anonymous February 28, 09 02:22 AM
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Great! China has the most various culture. Proud of being a Chinese.

Posted by YY March 2, 09 03:58 AM
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it is great.

Posted by nn March 2, 09 06:46 PM
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i love the pictures because they are very intresting and gives you a glimpse into the chinese culture that we don't get to see.

Posted by Makayla March 3, 09 01:56 PM
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Great! Let me known more about this Festival .Thanks

Posted by apeksy March 5, 09 11:18 PM
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they are not tangerine trees but rather kumquat.

Posted by octive9 March 7, 09 11:42 AM
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Great pictures! Thank you for your patience and efforts for taking these marvelous pictures. Being an overseas Chinese, I'm very proud of you.

Posted by mei March 21, 09 10:25 AM
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Type your comment here...

Posted by Anonymous March 27, 09 02:35 AM
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Why is that woman smoking? And she is to old to smoke, isn't she?

Posted by Sevda April 8, 09 10:15 PM
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awwwwww sum of da pictures are sad but at da same time sum of dem is beautifl

Posted by Aneisha Eason April 22, 09 06:30 PM
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Just wanted to say awesome pictures, and I like them all. I spend Chinese NewYear in Beijing, but I haven't been able to take any pictures like these. Great job!

Posted by Anonymous May 14, 09 11:02 PM
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I found these photos very impressive. It's a long way from Kansas...

Posted by James September 3, 09 11:02 PM
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