"My daughter and I were both born in the year of horse, 36 years apart. I hope she will become a swift horse," Rose said.

Rose's husband has been working at Shell China for 10 years, and she has come to love Spring Festival deeply.

"Spring Festival in China, like Christmas in the United States, means a long holiday," she said. "Chinese people prefer visiting friends more than foreigners. I love Beijing temple fairs, since they have everything, including kites and shadow shows," Rose continued.

In the first month of the Chinese year of goat, a happy atmosphere pervades. While local Chinese people have a decreasingly special feeling about Spring Festival, more and more foreigners like the Whites celebrate their exotic holidays here.

Official statistics show that in the past two years, China has introduced over 440,000 overseas experts annually, most of whom chose to stay in China during Spring Festival. They found that it was "quite an experience".

Michael Williams, a French man who just married a Cantonese woman, decided to celebrate the holiday with his wife's parents. In a small town of Guangzhou, he could understand nothing though he speaks perfect Chinese mandarin.

"They must be speaking another language," he joked. After a delicious dinner, he put in ear plugs to avoid the loud sounds of firecrackers.

Follow a local custom, Michael prepared "lucky money" for young people. Traditions are well kept in this small and remote town, as lion dancing and lanterns appeared.

"Streets were crowded with smiles. There were various games and food booths. I think it was more interesting than in big cities," he said.

Darrell A. Jenks, an official with the embassy of the United States in China, participated in a challenging dumpling-making competition a week ago in Beijing. He said it was quite difficult to make tasty Chinese dumplings, and it was too easy to add either too much filling or too little.

Those who know China well should be able to make dumplings, said May Tang, chief representative of the Australian Tourist Commission in China. "Otherwise the dumplings will stick together in a boiler, and it is harder to solve than a diplomatic issue."

"Beijing's traffic jams were reduced during Spring Festival," said Phion Tsingkin, a student from the Republic of Korea. "I heard non-Beijingers went back home and travelers left also. I visited the Great Wall, the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace again during the holiday. The quiet city seemed more traditional to me."

Phan Mau Tien, China general manager of the Vietnam Airlines, said that Vietnam and China are the two nations which have Spring Festival as legal holidays. His wife and two kids came to Beijing to see snow and try skiing.

Armand M. Pacher, senior vice president of Prudential Insurance Company, has been in China for eight years.

"In the past," he said, "I noticed Chinese families increasing their home appliances and furniture, while in the last two years, they moved into big houses. China has changed so much that you have to buy a new map to find your friend's house."

(People's Daily February 13, 2003)