New Year’s Day is traditionally a day when you see your family, eat too much, drink too much and watch a lot of TV. 
My old friend (of 1992) invited me to his house and dine with his family and I was pleased to accept. Just before the food was served he explained that it was tradition in his wife’s family to set off firecrackers in the doorway of the house so that it blows in wealth for the following year. So, spreading out the firecrackers (and not warning the neighbours) he lit a cigarette and then ignited the fuse. Cowering in the doorway of his neighbours house with fingers in his ears, the firecrackers exploded deafeningly and flew through the air scattering debris onto the sitting room floor.
The noise was bad enough but after it had all stopped the room was filled with noxious fumes and coughing my guts up I had to run to the window and stick my head out to take in some uncontaminated air.
The day after New Year’s Day and the bedlam of New Year’s Day started to pass and people start appearing on the streets again. I decided to go down to the Confucius Temple and take my camera. There wouldn’t be many people around I guessed because they will all be with their families watching dating programmes on TV. After a slow start I got the empty number 4 bus and on arriving at the temple I realised how wrong I was.
As the bus drew up all I could see was a mass of bodies and balloons, rabbit souvenirs, lanterns, candy floss, fruit on sticks and caged rabbits. It seemed that the whole of Nanjing was in Fuzimiao today. I joined the crowds and we moved as a large body through the barriers. In the temple area it was not possible to move more than a few steps without coming up against bodies.
Deciding it was not going to be much fun wandering around here I headed for one of the exits. However, I was unfortunate enough to choose the exit where there was a market going on, dozens of stalls selling rabbit lanterns, masks, hanging fish and all the paraphernalia associated with the New Year. The crowds here were at their thickest and it became impossible to move freely. We moved seemingly a step at a time, all of us together. It was impossible to stop at any of the stalls because the crowd would not allow anyone to stop. We were being swept along at a snail’s pace. Small children who were not lucky enough to be carried on shoulders were at danger of being crushed in the crowd.
Those unfortunate westerners who cannot leave during the Spring Festival look forward to normality resuming and getting back to work. It’s a boring boring time and with shops and businesses closed and nothing for us to watch Chinese TV there is little to do but entertain ourselves in any way possible. Roll on normality !