International student Zijie Wan spent his winter break participating in one of his homeland of China’s largest celebrations, the Chinese New Year. The festival marks one of China’s most prominent annual celebrations and is a regular holiday that locals look forward to all year long.
“Chinese New Year is red everywhere and there was so much food,” explained Wan. “We don’t give presents to each other, but we give red packets, which have different amounts of money in it.”
In addition to immersing himself in the Chinese culture while surprising his friends and family during his visit, Wan was also able to show several of his friends and fellow classmates who joined him around his native country. The group spent time with Wan’s family, as well as toured the local area.
“The trip was a surprise, nobody in my family knew except my siblings,” said Wan, adding that he served as a tour guide and translator for his friends during their time in China. “We traveled all around the city and went site-seeing.”