Int'l students discover rich traditions of Laba Festival in Chongqing

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A group of international students in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday immersed in the unique culture of China's traditional Laba Festival, deepening their understanding of Chinese New Year customs.

More than 30 students from Southwest University took part in a comprehensive cultural event at Pianyan Ancient Town, a historic site with over 300 years of history, to experience the local customs and rich cultural legacy of China's ancient festival.

The Laba Festival, celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, marks the beginning of preparations for the Chinese New Year. One of the most well-known traditions is the cooking and eating of Laba congee. For many overseas students, it was their first time tasting this traditional dish.

"This is very different from our food because it's like rice and beans. In our country, it's mostly spicy, but it is sweet here. So, it's very different from, but we like it, we love it," said Anum, a student from Pakistan.

The event also featured local artists who showcased their calligraphy skills on-site, by writing Spring Festival couplets for these foreign students. Some of the young people also had the opportunity to try their hand at Chinese writing art themselves.

"I used to see this in social media and everywhere. And I really wanted to try it like how people feel when they are drawing, painting and writing because you learn something new, because it's a new culture, new traditions, new ways of thinking at the same time. I think it's a fortune or good luck or blessing. So I'm gonna stick this to my wall because I need this blessing in my life," said Abbastihad from Algeria.

To experience the diverse traditions of the Laba Festival, the international students participated in a range of cultural activities, including traditional crafts like flower arranging, sugar painting, and paper-cutting, as well as visiting an ancient theater to watch folk performances.

Int'l students discover rich traditions of Laba Festival in Chongqing

Starting from Jan 1, "Beijing Service," a service platform backed by the Beijing municipal government, extended its coverage to the city's two international airports, setting up 24-hour kiosks to facilitate visitors from abroad.

On the first day of 2025, two Beijing Service kiosks near the international arrivals areas of Beijing's Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport were put into use, with well-trained staff providing 24-hour multilingual services for global travelers.

"This year we have set up service stations in Beijing's Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport to provide travelers with one-stop services including payment setup, mobile phone services, and transport and tourism consultation, covering four categories of more than 20 convenient services. The services aim to further facilitate foreigners to study, travel, or live in Beijing, and to upgrade the level of Beijing's international services," said Zhang Li, division chief of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Government Services and Data Management.

The move came after the city's recent poll with international visitors on what could be done to improve their experience in China, aiming to better support the surging global visitors brought by the country's visa-free policies.

The Beijing Service platform can now provide a one-stop solution to newcomers, and address most of the common concerns of foreign travelers.

"So far, I haven't had any problems, and it seems quite straightforward and it's easy to follow the instructions, everyone gives clear instructions, so it's quite easy to follow. So far everyone I have talked to is able to give feedback (on) what I needed, so it's been good," said Rahima Siddiqui, a traveler from New Zealand.

Beijing Service platform offers one-stop solutions to int'l visitors