Beijing attractions

 

 

拜年
Chinese New Year Visit

Paying Chinese New Year visits to relatives and friends is an important convention in China. It is a way of giving one’s best wishes to others. In Chinese, it called Bai Nian (拜年). Previously, Bai Nian was different from He Nian (贺年), though the two both referred to Chinese New Year calls. The former one means the Chinese New Year calls paid to the elders. The latter one means the greetings between peers. Nowadays Chinese New Year calls are generalized as Bai Nian, and He Nian is out of use. People often prepare gifts and start to pay Chinese New Year calls on Lunar January 1st. There are several types of Bai Nian: greeting the elders at home, visiting relatives, visiting friends & colleagues, visiting neighbors, etc. The first three are the most important.