A foreigner pastes a chunlian (Spring Festival couplet) on a wall. Photo: CFP

The Chinese New Year break saw the horse gallop off into the sunset to make way for the goat. Many expats also took the opportunity to get out of town, making their contribution to the biggest annual migration of humanity on the planet.

But while their Chinese colleagues were making filial trips back to their hometowns to spend time with their families, for many foreigners the week-long holiday from work was a chance to explore China and further afield.

Others took the chance to make the most of the lack of crowds and traffic in the city over the period to enjoy a staycation.

During the break, the Global Times spoke to a number of expats to find out why they had eschewed the chance to go traveling in favor of remaining in Shanghai.

Brandi Beasley, teacher, the US

I just started living in Weihai in Shandong Province two months ago, but came to Shanghai to spend Chinese New Year here with friends. It's different between the north and the south. A friend told me in the north they always do jiaozi at New Year, but in the south they prefer won ton, and have completely different food for the festival. So I came to Shanghai, and the food was completely different to what I was expecting. But that didn't ruin my celebration. Although I didn't get to spend the festival in Weihai, we did celebrate the "little Chinese New Year" on February 11. We all sent greetings to each other on WeChat. The Shanghai celebration was huge. I fell asleep earlier in the evening, and woke up to fireworks. They were everywhere. The street was covered in them.

Kate Pickering, geologist, Canada

We arrived in Shanghai to visit a friend. I arrived on February 18 at 7 pm. We took a cab from Pudong airport to the Bund. There were fireworks going off all around us. Then we met some Chinese people at our hostel near the Bund and we watched little kids run around with sparklers at midnight. Then about 20 feet from us, some guys set off a huge chain of fireworks, and one of them flew out and hit me in the leg. It was just the wrapper, it wasn't on fire or anything - it didn't injure me, it just surprised me. Then, around two minutes after midnight, it began raining - because of all the fireworks and the humidity in the air.

John, teacher, the US

  

This is my third Chinese New Year in China, but my first in Shanghai. For the last two, I went traveling. If you time it right to beat the crowds, then it is okay. Last year we went to Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan - it was fantastic, and not crowded as I had feared. However, timing it so there is available transport and restaurants is a concern - if you get it wrong, you can be stuck in the mountains with no way back. I decided to stay in Shanghai this year as the Christmas vacation was so recent and I wanted to save money. But it has been good so far. Plenty of places are still open, the streets are quiet and there haven't been as many fireworks as I was expecting.

Year of the Sheep mascots are on sale. Photo: IC

Emma White, designer, the UK

We got stuck here because of poor planning. We were going to travel to Bali, but we left it too late and the tickets were too expensive. By then, the tickets to everywhere else were also too expensive, so we decided to just stay in the city. We could take a day trip somewhere I guess - maybe Suzhou. I think the trains are still running frequently. But it is a shame to miss out on an opportunity to get out of the city. There seem to be plenty of restaurants and shops open still, and it seems like there are more people choosing to stay in the city this year, so we will try to make the most of it. It's a long time until the summer!

Students toast the new year. Photo: IC

Mo Busadi, student, France

I really wish I'd got it together to get out of the city. But then, hanging out in the quiet for a week can't be so bad. Maybe I'll catch up on some reading. Or some partying! I like the city at this time of year because the weather gets better and the streets clear a bit so it's a good chance to explore. I got a new bike recently so I plan to ride that out a bit, check out some new places. I've been here for over a year now, but it's a big city - there's still plenty to explore. If I do that, then at least it won't feel like I wasted the holiday.

Graham Tare, lawyer, the UK

I wanted some peace and quiet - after all, the Christmas break was like a whole six weeks ago. Me and my wife have a young daughter, so we don't want to travel at the moment - particularly at a crazy time like Chinese New Year. I'm looking forward to holing up at home with some drinks and DVDs. Maybe it's a good time to recap on Game of Thrones before the new series starts.

Global Times