The expert spoke about the best destinations for celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival, or Chunjie), which will last until March 2, is not just a date change, but a grandiose show of traditions and fireworks. Daria Abakumova, an expert at the Onlinetours booking service, told Izvestia on February 18 about interesting destinations that Russians can choose to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

In addition to the popular Beijing and Shanghai, tourists are invited to visit historic Xi'an, where costumed processions in the style of ancient dynasties and night lantern festivals take place. For those who prefer natural landscapes, Guilin with its rocky landscapes and rural temple festivals is suitable. In Chengdu, travelers can see not only pandas, but also traditional performances on stilts or dances of the "lion mask".

In addition, as the expert emphasizes, tourists in Luoyang can get acquainted with Buddhist culture and see the real temple New Year. Solemn prayer services are also held in the temple of the White Horse (the oldest in China), and a lantern festival with a thousand-year history is organized in the city.

According to Abakumova, for the sake of completeness of impressions, it is necessary to combine trips to megacities with visits to original provinces and plan trips in advance.

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Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.

"To make the trip to the CNG exciting, we can consider the following scenario: spend 2-3 days in a major metropolis — Beijing, Guangzhou or Chengdu, and then go to authentic regions — Lijiang, Fenghuang, Guilin, Xi'an or Kaili. This way you will experience both the scale of the holiday and the authenticity of the local culture. It is important to understand that at this time China is filled with millions of tourists, so it is better to book all tickets and hotels in advance," the specialist said.

Lunar New Year is also celebrated in other Asian countries. According to the expert, Singapore hosts the largest Chingai festival, but Russians need to apply for a visa in advance to travel there.

"Be sure not to miss the Chingai Parade, the largest New Year's Festival in Southeast Asia. However, remember that you need to prepare for a trip to Singapore and apply for a visa in advance," the expert advised.

In Japan, Yokohama's Chinatown becomes the center of celebrations, and a visa is required for Russian citizens, but it is issued free of charge. In Vietnam, the holiday is called Tet and is accompanied by large-scale fireworks in Hanoi. Visiting this country is also available to Russians without a visa for up to 45 days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during video talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 4, said that in relations between Russia and China, any time of the year is spring. The Russian leader also expressed confidence in the strength and development of relations between Moscow and Beijing, regardless of the international situation. Putin stressed that he was confident in the progressive development of relations between the two countries in all areas.

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