In Caotai village of northern Anhui, the return of migrant workers has brought happiness to the usually quiet village. In the information age, the Internet has greatly facilitated ways of celebrating the New Year.

Getting tickets to go home has always bothered migrant workers. But this year, bus and train tickets could be easily booked online. In addition, many workers made special purchases for Spring Festival online as well. The goods even reached home before they themselves did.

In Chen Haijian’s home, instead of watching the Spring Festival Gala, Chen and his wife sang karaoke on their iPad. The 26-year-old man works as a driver in Quanzhou city, Fujian province, and bought a new iPad and many toys for his family this year. Even in small villages, young people now have more kinds of entertainment than in the past.

Weibo (microblogs) and WeChat have also gained popularity in Caotai village. People share their celebrations on their weibo and on group chats on WeChat.

The Internet has enabled people to send New Year’s blessings to faraway friends, placing traditional customs on a much bigger platform.

Edited by Michael Thai, Huang Pei