STORY: Canadian expat experiences Spring Festival traditions in S China village
SHOOTING DATE: Earlier footage
DATELINE: Feb. 9, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:50
LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Adrian celebrating Spring Festival with locals

STORYLINE:

So tired. It's heavier than it looks.
May the Year of the Dragon bring you good fortune!

SOUNDBITE (English): ADRIAN BERZENJI, Canadian expat
"Hello, I'm Adrian. And the Chinese Lunar New Year is fast approaching. This will be my 10th time celebrating the Spring Festival in China.
   
And I'm always amazed at how big and how important this festival is.
   
Today, I'm in Shengshi Village, Shaxi Town, Zhongshan, where there is a Spring Festival market taking place. So let's go and experience the authentic festival spirit of Zhongshan together.
   
For over a decade, Shengshi Village in Shaxi has been organizing an annual Spring Festival market for the villagers. Here, the villagers gather to write Spring Festival couplets, print good luck banners and prepare traditional Chinese New Year's delicacies, creating a joyful and festive atmosphere.
   
So today, Mr. Peng, who is 90 years old, has come to write some blessings for the villagers.
   
During the Chinese lunar festival, you've got to get your festive spring couplets. But here in Shaxi, they have another tradition as well. They make good luck banners.
   
Now these banners may be small, but they contain all of the wishes for prosperity, good luck and safety for the upcoming year. Let's try it together. Alright. So what do I do? Ink on the brush. Okay.
   
Not too much.
   
Brush it over the words. Alright.
   
(Get the red paper.)
   
Red paper.
   
(And then with the red down. Press it.)
      
Wow. Yours looks so good.
   
During the Spring Festival, every home in the Shaxi Village would have these good luck banners plastered to their front doors, hoping for an auspicious start to the new year.
   
Today I'm gonna join some of the village children in this tradition.
   
Are you guys excited?
   
Shall we go do this?
   
(OK. Let's go.)
   
All right. Let's go, guys.
   
I'm so glad you're excited.

(So we just tear the old ones off because most of them have glue. So if there's a little, you can take it off. It's okay. You just take the most of the old one off like this, and then you can put the glue on it.)

Just over top? 
   
(Yeah, just put it on the old one. Brush the glue. And then you stick one like this on top of it. You stick a new one here.)
   
Cool. Cool.
   
(And then it's done.)
   
Well, easy.
   
(Yeah.)
   
With the Year of the Dragon just around the corner, the Shengshi Golden Dragon Parade, which has a long history, is about to take place.
   
The traditional 38-meter-long dragon is ready, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Shengshi Village will host a folk art parade, which features both dragon and phoenix dances, to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
   
Today, I'm going to try to perform a small golden dragon dance and phoenix dance with the children. You guys ready?
   
Let's go!
   
I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year and good luck in the Year of the Dragon."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou, China.
(XHTV)