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Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is celebrated across China and in many parts of Asia and the world where Chinese communities can be found. It is often marked by time off work or school and includes family visits, meals together, and games like mahjong.
Chinese open-source AI models’ surge to the top of token usage on OpenRouter ended US labs’ reign on the platform’s leaderboard over the past year. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax, Moonshot top AI token use ranking, ending year of US dominance

AI hosting platform OpenRouter’s latest ranking shows high demand for Chinese open-source models following a series of new releases.

Trending in China

Why this ancient custom requires kids to ‘sell ignorance’ on Chinese New Year’s Eve

Trending in China

China boss offers US$26 million bonus; staff can pocket bills within set time

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Aviation

Helicopter travel takes off in China during Spring Festival rush

Helicopter services boomed during the Chinese New Year, offering fast travel and new routes across different cities.

Demand for helicopter flights surged during China’s Spring Festival. Photo: Handout
Robotics

Editorial | As China takes to robots, human touch needed more than ever

Amid the excitement over the humanoid performers at the Spring Festival Gala, it must be remembered that robotic advances should complement human welfare.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong visitor numbers jump for Chinese New Year holiday as gold sales shine

But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Trump is abducted by aliens and has Chinese ‘twin’ in chaotic Cantonese opera

Showing in Hong Kong, Trump on Show 4.0 combines political satire and surreal Sino-US commentary but feels like a ‘paper tiger’ with no bite.

Elvina Kong (left) performs as Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi and Lung Koon-tin as US president Donald Trump on the opening night of the Trump on Show 4.0 at Sha Tin Town Hall in Hong Kong. Photo: Contemporary Drama Association
China stock market

China’s top court backs legal action against corrupt firms amid equity rally

The court’s initiative marks ‘a positive sign that the market would sustain its upward momentum’, hedge fund manager Zhou Ling says.

China consumption

Ne Zha 2 hangover? China’s Lunar New Year box office plunges to 6-year low

China’s holiday box office fell nearly 40 per cent year on year as studios failed to find a breakout hit to match last year’s Ne Zha 2.

Artificial intelligence

AI apps soar in China as Lunar New Year giveaway battle boosts user growth

Tech firms score win as AI assistants become part of holiday consumption – from buying food and booking travel to planning entertainment.

Alibaba’s AI app Qwen saw nearly 200 million orders placed during the holiday period. Photo: Reuters
China consumption

China’s weak consumption gets Lunar New Year boost

An 8.6 per cent increase in Lunar New Year spending is a rare bright spot in Chinese efforts to bolster domestic demand.

Spring Festival traffic. Photo: AFP
China travel

Chinese tourism to Japan plunges 50% over Lunar New Year as Thailand cashes in

Thailand was the top destination for China’s outbound travellers over the extended holiday, with tourists avoiding Japan amid rising tensions.

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China travel

‘Chinese everywhere’: why tourists ditch Tokyo for Seoul as Japan ties sour

Diplomatic row with Japan sent more Chinese travellers packing for Korea, filling its hotels over the nine-day holiday and offering relief to a sluggish domestic economy.

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Singapore

Sharing the luck: inside Southeast Asia’s embrace of Lunar New Year

Malay and Indian households are increasingly embracing the festivities, tossing ‘yusheng’ and giving hongbao to show ‘unity in diversity’.

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The Lourdes family take part in the traditional “yusheng” toss on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Photo: Alyssa Ann Lourdes
Ant Group

Ant’s AQ health app tops 100 million users amid holiday surge

Growth comes as China’s ageing population fuels demand for AI-assisted health monitoring tools.

The rise of AI health apps in China comes as the country navigates a rapidly ageing demographic. Photo: Handout
China consumption

Boom or bust? China’s Lunar New Year spending data is in – here is what we know

Initial figures show record travel, shifting spending patterns and a weak box office.

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Thailand

Thailand ‘buzzing’ with travel boom as Chinese tourists back in droves

The country’s heavy investment in wooing Chinese visitors appears to have paid off as it overcomes safety fears to secure holiday growth.

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Robotics

Opinion | Humans vs robots? China begs to disagree

As China embraces humanoid robots, policymakers and companies are expanding the scope of innovation and applications in daily life.

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Robots dance for the Spring Festival Gala on train travelling from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, to Beijing on February 13. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong environmental issues

Calls for better supervision of Hong Kong’s campsites after areas inundated

While authorities have stepped up patrols in recent days, improvements in public education and limits on crowds needed, campers and hikers say.

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The Football Association of Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong defender Leung put family first, now he’s ready to chase starting spot

Jacky Leung is the only player in Saturday’s 23-man squad based on the mainland and is back in the fold after a two-year absence.

Chinese culture

Feng shui tips for all 12 Chinese zodiac signs for the Year of the Horse 2026

Feng shui master Andrew Kwan shares where each Chinese zodiac sign can place items for good luck in the Year of the Fire Horse.

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Customers choose colored glaze snake handicrafts for the coming Chinese New Year, the Year of Snake, in Xiye Colored Glaze Studio in Boshan district, Zibo city, Shandong province, China, on Jan. 9, 2025. With a long history of colored glaze, Boshan is regarded as China’s Hometown of Colored Glaze and has 12 colored glaze enterprises and 65 art studios. (Xinhua) 新华社照片，淄博（山东），2025年1月9日 1月9日，消费者在淄博市博山区西冶工坊展销厅内挑选蛇年主题琉璃工艺品。 春节临近，山东省淄博市博山区的琉璃生产企业推出众多蛇年主题创意琉璃制品，受到市场青睐。博山区被誉为“中国琉璃之乡“，琉璃生产历史悠久，当地已发展琉璃生产企业12家、工作室65个。 新华社记者 朱峥 摄
Hong Kong racing

Editorial | Record post-Covid horse race attendance kicks off an auspicious year

The ‘fantastic’ atmosphere at the ‘Year of the Horse’ race meeting captured the spirit of an agile city undergoing a sound recovery.

The Sha Tin Racecourse draws a big crowd on the third day of the Lunar New Year on February 19. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong tourism

Hongkongers make 1.4 million outbound trips over Lunar New Year break

Local tourism sector reports modest gains this year despite nearly 13 per cent drop in mainland Chinese arrivals from pre-pandemic levels.

Gold in Hong Kong

Hong Kong stocks and gold start the Year of the Horse on a mixed note

The Hang Seng Index fell 1.1 per cent on the first day of trading of the new year, while local gold prices rose 0.6 per cent.

Banking & finance

HK$10,000 bonus, extra day off: Hong Kong banks reward staff returning to work

Bank of China (Hong Kong) is giving away hampers, ZA Bank is paying a HK$10,000 bonus, while HSBC and Hang Seng are offering HK$500.

Banks in Hong Kong are offering generous return-to-work lai see packets and gifts to their employees. Photo: Jelly Tse
US-China relations

Born in China, raised in US: adoptees explore their identity at Lunar New Year

Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, both wanting to fit in, while never too far from the past.

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Phoebe McChesney, left, with her twin sister and parents in the US, after their adoption from Hunan, China. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s tech giants report huge gains from Spring Festival marketing blitz

ByteDance’s viral video generation model Seedance 2.0 was closely integrated with the Spring Festival gala’s programming on Monday night.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Green group calls for action after Hong Kong campsites packed

More tents at Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan campsites in Sai Kung but situation ‘under control’, authorities say.

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