ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
Neo-Chinese aesthetics illuminate Spring Festival traditions
Festive enjoyment
Published: Jan 25, 2025 11:40 PM
Editor's Note:

Today, a fresh wave of neo-Chinese aesthetics, rooted in tradition and blended with contemporary innovation, is reaching people not just in China, but all over the world. Like a spring breeze that turns into a nourishing rain, it flows softly, enriching the hearts of many.

As the vibrant atmosphere of the upcoming Spring Festival fills the air, this gentle "breeze" stirs deeper within people's hearts. Now, as you accompany representatives of ordinary Chinese citizens on their journey of reunion, you can witness neo-Chinese aesthetics flourishing everywhere - from bustling temple fairs to high-speed rail stations, and from shopping malls to intimate private courtyards.

The Year of the Snake will still be a year of stunning Chinese beauty.

With the Spring Festival approaching, people enjoy themselves in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, on January 24, 2025.  Photo: VCG

With the Spring Festival approaching, people enjoy themselves in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, on January 24, 2025. Photo: VCG


With the Year of the Snake just around the corner, Han Chao, a staff member at the Nanjing Library, is meticulously planning the menu for the upcoming reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve. As family members prepare to gather for a festive feast, Han said that this grandest dinner of the year should be a treat not only for the taste buds, but also an aesthetic delight.

Ultimately, Han chose to draw inspirations from ancient Chinese to add an extraordinary touch to his family's meal. He decided to recreate a dish celebrated for its harmonious blend of color, aroma and flavor from the ancient Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) recipe book, Suiyuan Shidan, or Recipes from the Garden of Contentment.

Just as Han's family table embodies elements of Chinese beauty, be it on the road or at New Year's goods fairs, the essence of this aesthetic permeates nearly every aspect of life during the Spring Festival season. As the traditional festival continues to gain popularity and influence worldwide, Chinese beauty - characterized by a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, as well as auspicious symbolism - resonates more deeply with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

This beauty, called neo-Chinese aesthetics, represents a "lifestyle aesthetic" rooted in the traditional beauty ideals passed down through generations of Chinese culture. This aesthetic harmoniously aligns with contemporary life, reflecting both heritage and modernity, Liu Yuedi, a professor at the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

A Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with dumplings   Photo: VCG

A Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with dumplings Photo: VCG

Traditions revived through innovation


"Food is a crucial part of the Spring Festival celebrations. Truly immersing oneself in the process of preparing the meal can capture the essence of the festive spirit," Han told the Global Times. He plans to cook a dish named "Tai Xiang" that was recorded in Suiyuan Shidan, a book written by the renowned writer and gastronome Yuan Mei during the Qing Dynasty.

Han introduced that "Tai" refers to Taizhou, a place in East China's Zhejiang Province, while "Xiang" is fish meat that has been salted and sun-dried. The best Xiang comes from Taizhou, hence the name. 

The grilled fish, which has a slightly golden-brown color, is placed on a milky white porcelain plate, accompanied by tender green vegetable leaves. Han said that this will not only whet his family's appetite but also make the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner table more lively and striking.

Han gained a strong motivation to restore the ancient dish after learning that the dish was once a traditional one in his hometown. 

"I was surprised to learn that this dish was already in vogue over 200 years ago. During this Spring Festival, I want to try my best making this dish and share the story behind it with my family," he told the Global Times.

While Han is preparing dinner for Chinese New Year's Eve, his 4-year-old daughter cannot wait to change into her cloak decorated with traditional Chinese imagery, a style of neo-Chinese fashion that has become more popular amid the Spring Festival.

In 2025, neo-Chinese clothing has become a top choice for many people's Chinese New Year outfits. For many clothing designers, the share of neo-Chinese clothing sales has accounted for over half of their total sales. Outfits featuring auspicious decorations in shades of blue and red are in especially short supply. On social platforms such as RedNote, there have been more than 4 million posts about "neo-Chinese outfits," according to the Beijing Business Today.

Shu Heng, a Chinese fashion designer, has also been busy launching her new neo-Chinese designs based on the Year of the Snake. In the designer's view, what defines the "neo" in Chinese fashion design is its "mix-and-match aesthetics" that cater to people's everyday clothing needs.

"I believe the essence of neo-Chinese style lies in how it allows people to express their respect for tradition, while embracing a fashionable attitude that goes beyond tradition," the designer noted. For instance, neo-Chinese athletic wear combines elements of sports with traditional embroidery, while denim or leather jackets feature traditional button closures. The designs successfully fuse traditional styles with modern needs, creating a blend of innovation and practicality.

A scene at the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai  Photo: VCG

A scene at the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Photo: VCG

 
Beauty of harmony and reunion

One of the most important concepts regarding the aesthetics of the Spring Festival is encapsulated in the character "he," which signifies ideals such as peace and harmony. The joyous and harmonious atmosphere of the Spring Festival conveys these ideals of Chinese civilization to the world, fostering mutual understanding, respect and connection among people, Xiao Fang, the head of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore Studies at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times.

Han and his family were immersed in the festive atmosphere the moment they entered the railway station due to the vibrant red paper-cuts and other auspicious decorations. Once again, they chose to return to their hometown via high-speed train. With its many advantages, including efficiency, cost-effectiveness and high connectivity throughout the nation, high-speed trains have become the first choice for numerous travelers, especially during the Spring Festival travel rush.

After graduating from a university in Beijing in the early 2000s, Qi Tongming, from a small county in East China's Jiangsu Province, started to work in the capital city. He often took the green trains, China's slow train routes, back home for the Spring Festival reunion, carrying a lot luggage in both hands and pushing through huge crowds toward his seat. Even though the trip was not easy, very crowded and took dozens of hours, he still couldn't hold in his excitement at being reunited with family members.

Now, as Qi embarks on his journey home for the 2025 Spring Festival holidays, the green-skinned trains have evolved into high-speed trains, making the journey shorter, cleaner and more comfortable. With the increase of special services such as quiet carriages and children's carriages as well as festival decorations in the carriages, Qi feels that he is increasingly able to appreciate the beauty of the harmonious atmosphere on a high-speed train.

Passengers enjoy a lion dance performance inside a high-speed  train in Chongqing, on January 22, 2025.  Photo: VCG

Passengers enjoy a lion dance performance inside a high-speed train in Chongqing, on January 22, 2025. Photo: VCG

For wandering souls like Han and Qi, the ultimate destination of the journey is a joyful reunion. 

Qi shared that while on the train, he often imagines sitting in the courtyard with his family, enjoying leisurely moments together. Thirty years ago, Qi and his parents lived in a small traditional Chinese courtyard home, dreaming of moving into a modern apartment. Now, however, they feel fortunate to possess such a courtyard, a place where they can truly relieve their anxieties and connect with the beauty of nature.

"I saw that our renovated house has been labeled as neo-Chinese architecture online. This architectural style offers numerous advantages, including being environmentally friendly and fostering a strong connection to nature, among others," said Qi. 

Neo-Chinese buildings are flourishing in various places. Wencun village, located in Fuyang, East China's Zhejiang Province has been decorated with red lanterns and paper-cuts with auspicious designs to celebrate the Year of the Snake. The once-declining village is now attracting an increasing number of tourists and is filled with laughters again due to renovations by Wang Shu, an architect renowned for his neo-Chinese designs and the first Chinese architect to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. 

During the renovation project, Wang put concepts of neo-Chinese designs into practice, fully considering the relationship between buildings and the surrounding landscape. Visitors are praising the harmonious blend of traditional Chinese architecture with modern, livable designs.

"In the minds of the Chinese people, architecture embodies a lifestyle intertwined with nature that flourishes over time," the architect shared with the Global Times. 

Through a harmonious blend of inheritance and innovation, neo-Chinese buildings are deeply integrated into contemporary life, presenting a fresh perspective on aesthetic values and lifestyles amid the accelerating process of modernization.

A young lady poses with a red lantern.   Photo: VCG

A young lady poses with a red lantern. Photo: VCG

Qi noted that the recent trend of "China Travel" has attracted more and more overseas tourists to his hometown in Jiangsu Province. The charm of the local dwellings, which harmoniously blend with nature, had them reaching for their cameras repeatedly.

As the first wave of people who, like Han, work and live away from home begin their journey back to their hometowns, they start to relish the heartfelt joy and spiritual beauty of reuniting with loved ones. They eagerly anticipate more cultural celebrations, such as the Spring Festival gala on Chinese New Year's Eve and local temple fairs throughout the holiday, to experience the unique charm of this grand traditional festival, which is a vital part of the nation's heritage.