Spring Festival, the bond of Chinese

During this sales season, Li has sold around 30 tons of his red paper designs to different regions.

"When I think about our couplets posted on the doors of thousands of households as if they have received our blessings, I feel delighted," he said.

In recent years, Xiazhuang township has developed five innovative and creative villages, nurturing over 20 couplet enterprises and shops that provide more than 4,000 jobs.

The township's annual output has reached 8,000 tons, occupying nearly half of the national market share.

After decorating his house, Li prepares for his family reunion dinner, the most important meal of the year.

"For my family, chicken and fish are indispensable on the menu, symbolizing good luck," he said. "It is the happiest moment when the whole family sits around waiting for the new year."

For Lou Jie, a resident of Liuyang, Hunan province, setting off fireworks is as essential for Spring Festival as the reunion dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala.

When the clock strikes midnight on Chinese New Year's Eve, his family lights fireworks, symbolizing peace, joy, health and happiness.

The pitch-black night sky shines as if it were daylight under the glow of the fireworks.

"On Chinese New Year's Eve and Lantern Festival, every family prepares boxes of fireworks," said the 39-year-old Lou.

When gathering with friends or visiting neighbors during Spring Festival, he brings a few boxes of fireworks, representing the highest etiquette. "Setting off fireworks alone is not fun, but when done together, it creates a special atmosphere," he said.

Lou's passion for the celebratory explosives runs deeper than family gatherings. He's had a long career working for Liuyang Sky Hawks Fireworks Manufacture & Sales.

Liuyang is China's largest concentrated area for fireworks production, with around 300,000 people working in related industries.