Spring Festival celebrations thrill Pingyao's folk

An exciting opening ceremony for the Pingyao Chinese New Year, the big annual event celebrating traditional Spring Festival, took place in Pingyao county on Jan 11, according to local officials. 

The ceremony -- hosted by the Ancient City of Pingyao and Chinese fashion media group JSTYLE -- featured a combination of traditional Chinese culture and contemporary fashion and was the first to try a market-oriented approach to the annual celebration.

To attract more visitors to Pingyao and improve visitors' experience, this year's Pingyao Chinese New Year is a week longer than previous iterations. It integrates tradition, international style, scientific and technological developments and the local specialties of the Ancient City of Pingyao in 18 activities in five categories and settings. 

The organizers said the event will run to Feb 9.

An opening ceremony for Pingyao Chinese New Year, a big annual event celebrating the traditional Spring Festival, is held in Pingyao county on Jan 11. This year's Spring Festival falls on Jan 25. [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]

The Ancient City of Pingyao bathes in colorful lights at the opening ceremony for the Pingyao Chinese New Year in Pingyao county on Jan 11. [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]