1. Friday May 25, 2018
      Home > News > Chinese Culture
      Text:| Print|

      When Chinese New Year becomes like a slasher movie

      2012-01-19 09:58 China Daily     Web Editor: Zhang Chan comment

      To anyone else, the blob of greenish white putty with bits of dirt and a couple of loose hairs poking out looked like a prime candidate for the dust bin. To me, it was as essential to our family reunions as the dry roast turkey with glutinous rice stuffing my aunt always served.

      My cousin's pre-war home had the dimly lit alcoves and creaky wood floors that directors of cheap slasher films drool over. All the more fitting for what was to come.

      As the adults were down in the living room playing mahjong, my sister, cousin and I locked ourselves in the bedroom. Carefully taking the blob from its plastic egg-shaped case, I spread it over the bedside lamp. A large shadow was cast over the room as we waited for the edges of the blob to bubble up.

      The blob was passed between us like a hot potato, and then inevitably my elder sister would take charge and mold it into a shape of a little body.

      "Who should it be?" she cackled, quite convincingly for a 10-year-old. I quickly shouted out names of classmates, TV stars and absent family members in an act of self-preservation.

      After turning off the light, the blob glowed luminously in the dark. Mumbling made-up incantations, we gleefully jabbed the voodoo doll with needles from my aunt's sewing kit. As the years went on, this annual rite would stay the same, but the names would be changed to school rivals, teachers and finally, ex-boyfriends.

      More than Thanksgiving and Christmas in the Western world, Chinese New Year means a family reunion and the sweet and sour complexity of it all. It's the only time when grandma's juicy dumplings pale in comparison to auntie's juicer gossip about the second cousin's Botox treatments.

      Currently, the largest human migration in the world is testing the country's transportation system like never before. An estimated more than 2 billion passenger trips are to be taken by road, rail and air. The overwhelming majority are migrant workers, who rush back home carrying gifts and fat packets of cash to distribute among family members.

      For many of them, this will be their only opportunity to see children, spouses and parents this year.

      Meanwhile, in the city, construction comes to a halt, factories are closed down and laundry piles up until housekeepers return. The exodus has some benefits, as traffic drops to pre-Olympic levels and "blue-sky" days become a reality.

      Reunions include unsolicited and often dubious advice passed out by well-intentioned relatives. Lack of restraint can be counted on by the elderly, as expressed by my 90-year-old-plus granny who, in lieu of congratulations, instead once advised a brother-in-law to get a vasectomy upon the birth of his fourth child.

      For foreigners accompanying their Chinese friends, know that, "You're so fat", "How much money do you make?" and "26? Why aren't you married yet?" are common forms of greeting.

      Besides, family reunions are the ultimate source of networking, as more than 70 percent of companies in China are family-owned.

      It's annoying I know, to hear the 41st rendition of the time when your uncle won a lucky draw at a restaurant that bagged him a free meal only to have his wallet stolen while dining there. But take my advice and get to know as many relatives as possible. Even go so far as to record their names and addresses in order to check up on their well-being.

      After all, you may see second cousin on your mother's side, but I see future kidney donor. Happy New Year!

      Comments (0)

      Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

      主站蜘蛛池模板: 日本特黄a级高清免费大片| 亚洲精品高清视频| 亚洲一区二区三区高清不卡| 国产拍拍拍无码视频免费| 337p日本欧洲亚洲大胆裸体艺术| 美女视频黄频a免费| 高清国语自产拍免费视频国产| 亚洲熟妇AV日韩熟妇在线| 午夜两性色视频免费网站| 亚洲av无码成人精品国产| 国产一区二区三区无码免费| 免费国产污网站在线观看不要卡 | 成人午夜免费视频| 免费在线看片网站| 又硬又粗又长又爽免费看| 亚洲视频人成在线播放| 三根一起会坏掉的好痛免费三级全黄的视频在线观看 | 久久国产亚洲精品麻豆| 三年片在线观看免费观看大全动漫| 亚洲AV色香蕉一区二区| aⅴ在线免费观看| 亚洲最大的成人网| 亚洲国产精品人人做人人爽| a级毛片毛片免费观看久潮喷| 亚洲最新视频在线观看| 免费a级毛片高清视频不卡| 在线观看亚洲免费视频| 亚洲香蕉成人AV网站在线观看| 嫩草影院在线播放www免费观看| 亚洲国产精品成人精品小说| 日韩免费电影在线观看| av片在线观看永久免费| 亚洲欧洲高清有无| a一级爱做片免费| 亚洲Aⅴ无码专区在线观看q| 一二三四视频在线观看中文版免费| 粉色视频成年免费人15次| 国产精品久久久亚洲| 一个人免费观看在线视频www| 日韩免费在线中文字幕| 91亚洲自偷手机在线观看|