Monkey business booming as Spring Festival nears
Print Edition
THOUGH the Chinese New Year is still almost a month away, people are already going ape for the Year of the Monkey.
Last week, Tian Meng, 62, stayed up until midnight in order to make an online reservation for a set of commemorative coins issued by the central bank.
鈥淚 usually go to sleep early, but I wanted the coins,鈥 said the resident of Hefei, capital of east China鈥檚 Anhui Province.
The People鈥檚 Bank of China will issue the coins on Saturday, but began taking orders at midnight on Thursday. In just a few hours, all of the available coins had been reserved.
The Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, this year falls on February 8. The monkey is ninth in the 12-animal rotation, following the sheep and preceding the rooster. The others are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, dog and pig.
According to tradition, people born in the Year of the Monkey are smart, lively and playful.
Chinese stores, offices, homes and cars will be decorated with themed trinkets weeks before the new year, offering a boom for businesses.
In Yiwu, east China鈥檚 Zhejiang Province, it鈥檚 high season at the Festival Commodities Market 鈥 the world鈥檚 largest for small consumer goods 鈥 which is awash with monkey-themed paintings, scrolls with traditional couplets, toys and lucky charms.
The scene is similar in the nearby city of Jinhua, where businesses are busy selling their latest monkey products.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 major products are lucky paper and couplets on scrolls,鈥 a businesswoman surnamed Lu at the city鈥檚 Dongyang Mall.
鈥淕old ingots with monkey images are also popular,鈥 she said.
Even foreign businesses are cashing in on the fervor, adding primates to imported watches, chocolates and charm bracelets found on taobao.com.
Meanwhile, a trailer for the film 鈥淢onkey King 2鈥 starring Hong Kong actor Louis Koo has just been released. The sequel to one of China鈥檚 most successful films will open on February 8.
Enthusiasm for monkey products shows people鈥檚 excitement for the country鈥檚 biggest holiday, which is generally celebrated with family reunions and is a time of happiness, courage and hope, said Wang Kaiyu, a researcher at the Anhui Academy of Social Sciences.
Zhou Hua, a kindergarten teacher from Hefei, has just finished embroidering a monkey for her daughter.
鈥淢y daughter was born in the Year of the Monkey, and a I hope she鈥檒l be as happy and lively as one,鈥 she said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
