New Year, New Ways: How to celebrate Spring Festival in the digital age

Past: Visiting markets or supermarkets

Now: Grocery shopping online

To get prepared for the Spring Festival Eve meal, people used to visit bustling supermarkets, where they would fill their carts with an array of festive food. Nowadays, people can push digital carts through browsing online shopping apps, with one-tap payment on their phones and groceries quickly delivered to their doorstep.

Past: Handing out red envelopes

Now: Receiving E-red envelopes in WeChat

Traditionally, red envelopes containing cash are given to younger family members as a gesture of love and blessing. Nowadays, with electronic payments, people can not only receive red envelopes in WeChat, but can also choose cute covers before sending them to children.

Past: Changing "door god" posters

Now: Changing phone wallpapers

Chinese families have the tradition of replacing the "door god" (Menshen) posters on their front doors to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. Now, young people also express their wishes for a fresh start in the New Year by changing their phone wallpapers.

Past: Setting off firecrackers and fireworks

Now: Starting setting off electronic firecrackers and AR fireworks

Setting off firecrackers and fireworks has long been a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere. However, with many people now living in big cities where fireworks are neither safe nor convenient, technological advancements have led to a growing trend of using electronic firecrackers and AR fireworks as alternatives.

(Zhang Heyun, as an intern, also contributed to this story.)