Spring Festival fun: firecrackers to livestreams

春节乐:鞭炮声变直播间

Round Table China

2026-02-18

26 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Festivals reveal a society's values. In China, few moments do so like Spring Festival, especially from the second day onward, when private rituals become public celebration. Welcoming the son-in-law and worshipping ancestors and gods once reflected an agrarian world of kinship and survival. Today, these same customs sit alongside malls, livestreamed fairs, and global audiences. What happens when tradition meets urbanization and technology? On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yangyang
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单集文稿 ...

  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Round Table.

  • From the heart of Beijing to the edges of the global stage, you're at Round Table.

  • Festivals are often described as windows into a society's values and trends.

  • In China, few moments reveal more than the Spring Festival,

  • particularly from the second day of the Lunar New Year onward,

  • when private rituals give way to public celebrations.

  • From welcoming the Sun in law to worshiping the God of wealth,

  • these customs once reflected, and agrarian world structured around kinship and survival.

  • Today, they coexist with shopping malls, live-streamed temple fairs, and global audiences.

  • What happens when inherited tradition meets urbanization, technology, and globalization?

  • What are the 20 entertainment choices for the Spring Festival today?

  • For this show, I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yang Yang.

  • Now pull up a chair and join the conversation.

  • Step outside during the Spring Festival today,

  • and you might find yourself at a temple fair inside an amusement park,

  • a fashion forward lantern show in Shanghai's commercial district,

  • or a Chinatown celebration in Lima or Budapest.

  • What was once centered on ritual obligation now doubles as urban leisure,

  • tourism, and cultural branding?