18 | Friday, December 4, 2020 EDITION | DAILY LIFE Christmas is your Chinese New Year: Fascinating similarities

“Christmas is your Chinese New surprising, commonalities. the start of the new lunar year, naturally, I felt right at home qian meiqian huijia guonian), both on Christmas, and indulged in the Year.” Here are some interesting ones Christmas once fell on the exact attending my first Lantern Festival holiday traditions embrace and pro­ many Christmas cookies my mother I’ve heard this phrase uttered to I’ve observed: date of the winter solstice, the in China, surrounded by huge, mote the idea of family reunions. had either baked or obtained me countless times by people in Good fortune shortest day of the year in the glowing displays shaped like Chi­ Gifts through her annual cookie swaps. China when the holi­ Many Chinese New Year customs Northern Hemisphere and a time nese zodiac animals. Whether I’m heading to grand­ I marvel at these many likenesses days roll around, I’ve experienced at my in­laws’ traditionally marking the “rebirth” Spiritual practices ma’s house for Christmas Eve or my between the two seemingly dispa­ whether Christmas home in Zhejiang province revolve of the sun. When I was a child, we always in­laws’ place to spend Chinese New rate holidays, which I see as a testa­ or Chinese New Year. around auspiciousness, such as the Lights attended Christmas Eve mass Year’s Eve, I always arrive bearing ment to our shared humanity. I once thought the red couplets and firecrackers used Both Chinese New Year and together as a family at my grand­ plenty of presents for all. Whether awaiting the arrival of St. comparison a bit of to ensure a propitious start to the Christmas dazzle with plenty of mother’s catholic church. During Food Nicholas or the new Chinese zodiac a stretch, wonder­ new year. But Christmas traditions lights in decorations and rituals. My Chinese New Year celebrations at Food stars as a key ingredient in year, somehow we all innately crave Jocelyn ing how the holiday I’ve grown up with are also said to father­in­law loves adorning the my husband’s family home, we Chinese New Year and Christmas the warmth of celebrations during Eikenburg of Santa Claus of my represent good fortune, including family home in Zhejiang with tradi­ always stand before the shrine to celebrations. The highlight of guon­ the coldest days of winter. Second childhood in the the centerpiece of all decorations: tional red lanterns for Chinese New the family ancestors on Chinese ian at my in­laws’ home is feasting Thoughts United States could the Christmas tree. Year, just as my husband and I enjoy New Year’s Eve and bow with on a mouthwatering assortment of Contact the writer at possibly resemble a The color red decking our Christmas tree and respect before dinner. dishes from my mother­in­law’s [email protected] celebration involving fireworks Red is a beloved shade for Christ­ home with strings of colored lights. Going home to family kitchen and popping open a bottle and lion dances. But over the mas and a lucky one for Chinese Growing up, my family would drive Between the holiday song I’ll Be of fine red wine. Growing up in the Online years I’ve recognized that Chi­ New Year. to Christmas light displays in town Home for Christmas and the Chi­ US, I usually sat down along with Scan the code nese New Year and Christmas Marking beginnings where we would gaze upon twin­ nese saying “moneyed or not, return my family to a dinner of honey­ to hear an audio share fascinating, and sometimes While Chinese New Year signals kling Santas, reindeer and stars. So home for Chinese New Year” (you­ baked ham with all the trimmings version. Candid camera: Generation gap Classic gala to be staged to mark Party centenary

By CHEN NAN [email protected]

In October 1964, a grand gala was staged at the Great Hall of the People in , marking the 15th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China. With more than 3,000 people per­ forming at the event, including dancers, singers and orchestras, Zheng Jian, conductor of the the gala was able to accommo­ Tianjin Song and Dance date 14 shows. To reach an even Theater. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY wider audience, it was turned into a movie by the August First Film Studio in 1965, and this was names in China,” he adds. greeted with huge success. Zheng notes that all of the songs Celebrating the 100th anniver­ recorded the history of the coun­ sary of the founding of the Com­ try’s development and they are munist Party of China in 2021, the still popular, especially among gala will be re­presented and people in their 60s and 70s, who undertake a national tour. The grew up listening to them. first performance will be held on One of the songs, Dongfang Dec 26 at the Forbidden City Con­ Hong, which is also the name of cert Hall in Beijing, Xu Jian, gen­ the gala, was written by lyricists eral manager of the venue, Youyuan, Gong Mu and com­ announced. poser Li Huanzhi, based on a folk Under the baton of conductor song of Northwest China’s Zheng Jian, the symphony Shaanxi province during the orchestra and singers from the 1940s. The song expresses peo­ Tianjin Song and Dance Theater ple’s love for the country and for will perform in the gala, along Chairman Mao Zedong. with the choir of the Beijing Musi­ According to Zheng, then­pre­ cians’ Association. mier Zhou Enlai initiated the idea Both intrigued and enchanted, two senior citizens look on as primary school pupils play with a mobile Online Classic songs, including Dong­ of organizing the gala in 1964 and device near their school in Shaxian county, province, on Nov 24. ZHU WEIHUI / FOR CHINA DAILY fang Hong (East is Red), Nan Ni it took about 50 days to present Scan the QR code for Wan and On Songhua River, will the gala onstage. subscription or to get a be performed. “We rearranged the songs and copy of today’s paper. “At that time, there was no pop gathered our top artists to per­ music. We enjoyed listening to form together, hoping to pay trib­ those songs and singing those ute to those people who made a songs. They are songs melted in contribution to the development our blood,” recalls conductor of the country,” says Zheng. Doctors combat AIDS among prisoners Zheng, who led artists of Song and “All the artists performing in Dance Troupe of the general politi­ the upcoming gala are very cal department of the Chinese Peo­ young. They were not born when KUNMING — With a stethoscope, “It was doctors in the prison ple’s Liberation Army to perform the gala in 1964 was on. However, flashlight, medicine kit and blood who gave me a second life,” says 34 songs from the gala in 2007 at they are honored to be part of the pressure meter, doctor Fan Yunfu Kui, who was told to have an the Forbidden City Concert Hall. performance,” says Lu Sheng, busily shuttles between inpatient amputation by several hospitals at “Many singers, such as Guo president of Tianjin Song and wards. This is not uncommon for that time. Lanying, Li Guangxi and Hu Dance Theater, adding that he many doctors, however, Fan’s Despite careful treatment, the Songhua, who performed in the has watched the movie version of patients are prisoners with HIV/ doctors also face major challen­ gala, have become household the gala more than 10 times. AIDS. ges. Fan, head of the Jianshui Prison In 2017, AIDS caused a Hospital, Southwest China’s Yunnan decreased number of blood cells province, devoted himself to for a prisoner surnamed Pan, leav­ patients from the Eighth Prison ing him in critical condition. Pan’s Remains of granaries Yard, which was set up in 2008 wife rushed to the hospital with exclusively for prisoners who are their newborn child only to find either HIV carriers or AIDS patients. that her husband died of respira­ 4,000 years old found “Intravenous drug use was once a tory failure after hours of rescue major cause of HIV infections in procedures. ZHENGZHOU — Archaeolo­ Yunnan, as it borders the Golden Tri­ For doctor Wang Jinhong, Pan’s gists have discovered the remains angle, an area notorious for narcot­ death will always be a horrible of 28 granaries dating back about ics, and the yard was set to tackle a memory. “I could not accept that. 4,000 years in Central China’s large number of handcuffed HIV/ A medical professional with Beijing Haidian Hospital introduces A fresh life was lost. I felt so bad.” Henan province. They are believed AIDS patients at that time,” Fan says. material on AIDS prevention to a visitor during a free consultation to be among the country’s earliest Since then Fan and his colleagues event in Beijing on World AIDS Day on Dec 1. REN CHAO / XINHUA New blood centralized grain storage facilities. have worked around the clock for Wang considered giving up, but The granaries were unearthed this special group that most people after overcoming psychological from the 100,000­square­meter Archaeologists work at the tend to be frightened of. mare. “It is a painful memory, and I than their sentences. Thus, self­ barriers, she threw herself into the Shizhuang site in the province’s Shizhuang site in Zhoukou, often ask myself what I would have loathing and resistance to treat­ battleground of fighting HIV/ Zhoukou city during an excavation Henan province, where Occupational exposure done if I was infected.” ment occur from time to time, AIDS without hesitation. project that began in July 2019. granaries dating back about “At first, it was like wading across “It would be a lie if I said I was not according to Fan. Wang says what they are doing The remains of the granaries 4,000 years were discovered. the stream by feeling the way,” Fan nervous or fearful but since things In March 2016, AIDS caused the is meaningful. “I feel relieved as were found atop man­made foun­ XINHUA says. “With no previous experience happened, I told myself to take it lower limbs of a prisoner sur­ more doctors are engaged in the dations covering an area of about to fall back on and a high possibility easy,” says the doctor. named Kui to fester extensively, career,” says the retiring Wang, 5,600 square meters. The grana­ were used for grain storage, and that of occupational exposure, many Six months later, Zhao got the and he was unable to take care of who was also one of the few female ries circle a building believed to artifacts serving other purposes — medical staff members felt wishy­ result of her HIV test — it was nega­ himself. On the second day of doctors in the hospital. have served residential purposes. like ash pits, pottery kilns and tombs washy.” tive. admission to the hospital, desper­ Yunnan has seen a growing Archaeologists detected — are rarely found in the area. In 2016, when doctor Zhao Jian­ “I felt very lucky. I can only use ate Kui tried to commit suicide but number of HIV/AIDS doctors remains of millet at the bottom of “This demonstrates the Shizhu­ quan was doing general mainte­ ‘lucky’ to describe how I felt at that was saved by medical staff. behind bars, and 26­year­old Song the granaries and determined that ang site was once a city mainly nance of equipment, a tube time. I was so lucky,” she says. “The then head of the hospital Shilin is one of them. they were grain warehouses. functioning as a grain store, the containing an HIV­positive blood So far, there have been nine occu­ Tang Shunbao and other doctors Song, with more than two years Charcoal found inside was car­ earliest of its kind in the country,” sample suddenly burst, causing pational exposures in Jianshui and nurses kept persuading me. of work experience, says he was bon­14 dated and revealed that the says Cao, adding that the site had a blood to spray out. Prison Hospital. Doctors took The nurses changed the dressings nervous at first when treating the structures can be traced back to relatively complete and strict grain Though wearing glasses and a blocking drugs for about a month for my wound every day,” Kui says. special patients but has gradually the early Xia Dynasty (c.21st centu­ storage and management system. mask, Zhao still got some blood on each time, suffering both physically “It smelled bad, but they never adapted to the work of an HIV/ ry­16th century BC), according to Experts note that the Shizhuang her cheeks and forehead. and mentally. Fortunately, none of made me feel bad.” AIDS doctor now. excavation leader Cao Yanpeng, a site provides key research materi­ “For a moment, my mind went them were infected. After repeated persuasion and “Doctors should treat indiscrim­ researcher with the Henan Provin­ als for the study of early China’s totally blank,” Zhao says. “I had patient treatment, Kui gradually inately. All we can do here is to cial Institute of Cultural Heritage grain management system, tax sys­ small open wounds on my face.” Life and death changed his attitude and became cure sometimes, to help often and and Archaeology. tem, social structure and national She then took antiviral drugs for Lacking basic knowledge about more cooperative with the treat­ to comfort always,” he says. Cao says most of the artifacts at governance system. one month, and the three­month the disease, many prisoners here ment. The man can now basically the Shizhuang site, which date from window for diagnosis was a night­ believe they would not live longer walk independently. XINHUA the same period as the granaries, XINHUA