Chinese, who believe they are descendants of dragons, are greeting the arrival of the last "Year of the Dragon" in the 20th century.

This particular year is considered by many here to be the most auspicious in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and it coincides with the new millennium on the Gregorian calendar.

Little did the ancient people in China know that at the end of their 20th century, a sizable slice of the new generation would celebrate the holiday surfing the Internet or vacationing in warm vacation climes abroad.

Tradition-minded Chinese may be pleased to hear the outcome of a recent telephone survey, which shows that nearly 90 percent of the people polled in six large Chinese cities prefer to celebrate Spring Festival with their families -- the way it's been done for centuries.

Data collected from the Social Survey Institute of China in six cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in the south, shows that 72.6 percent of families questioned preferred to gather all family members together for this special lunar new year. The figure is up more than one percent over last year.

"Modernization over the past century has changed many traditions about the traditional Chinese Spring Festival," said Wang Zhiyuan, a noted scholar with the Academy of Social Sciences,"but deep in their heart, people are very reluctant to abandon the old customs."

The Chinese capital of Beijing has enthusiastically displayed its traditional face: a spate of round red lanterns and designs of dragons are hanging above and around city streets, in centuries- old Hutongs, or back alleys, and in front of modern buildings.

Echoing the holiday spirit of the Chinese, many foreign business people have also placed huge dragon figures outside the shopping malls they financed.

The traditional paper-cut designs are fashionable once again in northwest China's Xi'an city, which was the imperial capital of 12 dynasties for 1,100-odd years in Chinese history.

Side-by-side vendors' stands display various paper-cuts of flowers, trees, animals, and baby silhouettes, which are believed to bring fortune, and this year's favorite dragon designs. A folk

dance done with dragon lanterns is the rage on the streets.

Newspapers, not to miss out on the story opportunities provided by a Dragon Year, have devoted pages to reminding Chinese of their 5,000-year history of civilization. Articles have been carried detailing the relationship between the dragon and Chinese culture.

Photos of ancient dragon totems have been published.

Dragon, an imaginary symbol created by ancient Chinese, is believed to be an animal that can summon wind and rain, and fly in heaven. The dragon has been worshipped throughout history as a

divine incarnation and a symbol of the country's fortune.

China was war-torn when the 20th century's first year of dragon came in 1904. Afterward, the Revolution of 1911, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, overthrew the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and put an end to the imperial monarch that had raged for many centuries in China. With this revolution, the imperial emperors were thus deprived of their imperial robes with embroidered dragon designs, a symbol of infinite power.

To many Chinese, the most unforgettable dragon year was 1976, when late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and other founders of New China passed away one after another. And a devastating earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale jolted the city of Tangshan in north China's Hubei Province and left 240,000 people dead.

Over the past three years, the people in China have experienced many events, including the return of Hong Kong and Macao, flood scourges, the NATO-led bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslav Federation, and the 50th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

When the Chinese people are embracing the year of dragon starting from February 5, they are approaching the resolution of the Taiwan issue, and a crucial year for China's entry into the

World Trade Organization (WTO). The reunification of the motherland and national rejuvenation are again the most important topics welcoming the new millennium.

Whatever happens in the new year, people are convinced that it will be the most joyful, prosperous and busiest year of the dragon.

Netizens and the media, for the first time, have been busy producing best-of-the-century lists of Chinese thinkers, inventions, architecture, books, and musical compositions.

Airplanes, trains, and motor vehicles which were oddities early this century will transport as many as 1.61 billion passengers in China during the Spring Festival this year.

Never before have so many Chinese been free to travel, make money, spend money, and reunite with their families instead of fleeing away from wars and famines as they had done in the past

history.

And in these leisure hours between feasting on holiday goodies, it's a good bet that most of China's 300 million-plus TV sets will be switched on. Chinese people have never had so many channels to choose from, and special New Year's programs will be aired across the country from China Central Television (CCTV) and various local TV stations via satellite.

Other forms of recreations will be popular at this Spring Festival parties, particularly short plays that take jabs at corruption.

"This is a very good time to reflect on the past and place our hopes on the future of China," said writer Liang Xiaosheng. "The huge dragon is soaring."