Ringing in the New Year at Longhua Temple
Shot by Yu Wenhao. Edited by Yu Wenhao. Subtitles by Wang Xinzhou.
In a boisterous and festive atmosphere, residents and tourists from home and abroad ushered in the New Year at Longhua Temple in Xuhui District.
The ancient temple was full of activities ranging from bell ringing to light shows to intangible cultural heritage performances.
The celebration climaxed when the bronze bell was rung at midnight on New Year's Eve, a traditional way to celebrate the new year in China.
The bell was struck 108 times, a tradition believed to bring good luck while eliminating grief and worry.
The Longhua Pagoda illuminated
People also hung their wishes high on trees, had New Year postmarks, enjoyed lion dance performance, and tasted vegetarian noodles.
Following a tradition dating back to 2008, the "auspicious character" for the year 2024 was unveiled at the temple, that is 泽, literally translated as nourishing, with multiple auspicious meanings such as joy and richness, carrying people's best wishes for the New Year.
In line with the ancient Chinese saying, "It is always a pleasure to greet a friend from afar," the historic temple welcomed the first inbound tourist group of Shanghai in 2024. About 140 tourists from countries such as Singapore and Malaysia joined in the joyful celebration and experienced the splendor of Chinese culture and the traditional Chinese way of celebration.
A visual feast
"It is my first time to visit Shanghai and it is a great place," said a Singaporean tourist surnames Luo. "The culture and art is new for me."
"The activities are good, particularly for the younger generation to learn," he added.
"The city is very modern," said another Singaporean tourist Johnson. "I have never pictured that Shanghai has such beautiful skyscraper, especially during at night."
"We are very excited and we might come back again," he said.
The ancient Longhua Pagoda was illuminated with a light show, wowing tourists.
The temple bell was listed as one of the eight major sights of Shanghai during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The historic pagoda was once admired for its beautiful reflection in a river by a peach forest.
At LONGHUAHUI, a new commercial complex near the temple, a winter fair was held on New Year's Eve, featuring both traditional and trendy performances.
Posing for a photo for the occasion
Shanghai has stepped up efforts towards becoming a world-famous tourist destination, and the first stop in China for inbound travelers.
Shanghai is not only an important window showcasing Chinese culture to the world, but also a strategic link of domestic and international dual circulation, noted Fang Shizhong, director general of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
The first tour of the year kicked off the city's year-round campaign to amplify the global narrative, promote Shanghai's international tourism image to the world, make the city an alluring destination for global travelers and attract them to take in-depth tours in Shanghai to experience its modern, magic and miracle sides, he said.
The brand new multi-lingual version of Shanghai's official culture and tourism promotion website "meet-in-shanghai" has been launched, offering a window for tourists across the world to keep updated about Shanghai's latest culture and tourism information.
In 2024, Shanghai will continuously optimize its inbound tourism environment and attract more international tourists, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
To prolong the overnight stays of inbound tourists and boost their consumption, the city will launch multi-layered and differentiated tourist itineraries, and develop a number of open metropolitan tourist attractions.
It will also raise inbound tourism service experiences, giving full play to the city's departure tax refund scheme for overseas tourists, and further raise the convenience level of payment and customs clearance for inbound tourists.
The pogoda illuminated
