During this year's Spring Festival, many Chinese chose to celebrate abroad, discovering that distance hardly dimmed the joy of the festivities. Vibrant dragon dances, luminous lanterns, and lavish festive banquets proved that the spirit of Chinese New Year continues to resonate far beyond national borders.
Around the world, Spring Festival celebrations are creating memorable experiences for both tourists and locals, showcasing Chinese culture through traditional performances and events while also promoting travel and cross-cultural exchanges.
From festive parades in European cities to holiday fairs in South America, Chinese tourists traveling abroad during the New Year, which fell on February 17 this year, are finding vibrant Chinese traditions in destinations far from home.
In Turkey's central Cappadocia region, festivities launched on February 14 brought Chinese New Year elements to one of the country's most iconic tourist sites.
Known primarily for its stunning rock formations and cave-dotted valleys formed by volcanic activity, Cappadocia attracts visitors from around the world each year. During this year's festivities, hot air balloons with Chinese New Year greetings, including a horse-shaped balloon, became a popular attraction for tourists.
After sunset, coordinated drone displays lit up the sky with messages such as "Year of the Horse 2026" and "China-Turkey Friendship," creating a festive atmosphere visible across the landscape.
"It's incredible!" says Zhang Mengping, a tourist from Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Seeing Chinese Spring Festival elements in a foreign country is both familiar and moving, reflecting the growing global reach of Chinese culture, she says.
Chinese travelers visiting France encountered equally creative celebrations combining tradition with modern technology.
In Paris, a Chinese New Year parade led by robotic performers marched down the Champs-Elysees to the rhythm of festive drums, marking the fourth time the event has enlivened this iconic avenue.
"Seeing traditional arts like dragon and lion dance, Yingge dance, and hanfu performances presented together abroad made me directly feel the charm of Chinese civilization," says Wu Yao, a tourist from Shaanxi province, northwestern China, after witnessing the parade.
Data from China's National Immigration Administration indicates that cross-border travel is expected to increase in both directions during this year's Spring Festival holidays. Daily entry and exit trips are projected to exceed 2.05 million, an increase of 14.1 percent compared to the same period last year.
The expansion of mutual visa-free agreements between China and several countries, including Russia and Brazil, has further improved accessibility for holiday travel.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, which fell on February 16, the third "Happy Chinese New Year" event opened at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. Despite temperatures dropping to minus 15 degrees Celsius and the day falling on a workday, residents and tourists gathered in the snow to join the celebrations.
A tourist surnamed Wu from Zhejiang province, eastern China, says his family chose to spend the holidays in Russia this year for a different Spring Festival experience abroad. They also traveled to Murmansk, a city on the Arctic Circle, where they observed the aurora over the Arctic Ocean.
In January, Brazil announced visa-free entry for certain short-term Chinese travelers in response to China's visa-free policies for Brazilian nationals. While Russia endured winter cold, Brazil was in summer. In Sao Paulo, the country's largest city, Liberdade Square was decorated for the Chinese Spring Festival.
The annual holiday fair, now in its 21st edition, attracted thousands of locals and visitors, featuring calligraphy, traditional Chinese dance, and acupuncture demonstrations.
A tourist surnamed Chen from Guangdong province in southern China, who traveled to South America during the holidays, says she was surprised by the scale of participation.
"With dragon and lion dances and people practicing tai chi, the Chinese New Year atmosphere in Brazil is truly rich," says Chen. This year, the Spring Festival coincided with carnival season in Brazil. "This kind of 'double celebration' spanning half the world is truly unforgettable."
Across continents, Spring Festival celebrations serve as significant platforms for cultural exchanges, blending Chinese customs with local traditions to create shared festive experiences.
In Zanzibar, Tanzania, an Indian Ocean island often called the "Spice Island," Spring Festival festivities took on a unique local flavor. On Chinese New Year's Eve, Wang Wenming, a Chinese tourist born in the 1990s, and his fiancee celebrated the occasion at a seaside restaurant on the northern part of the island.
As waves crashed against nearby rocks, a restaurant employee, upon learning that the couple was celebrating Chinese New Year, played the Chinese folk song Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower). The melody echoed across the terrace, drawing smiles and toasts from diners of different nationalities.
Wang says he was glad to see that local communities are becoming more familiar with Chinese festivals.
"Through these exchanges, I introduced some Chinese cultural customs to local people, and the sense of fulfillment from this kind of interaction goes beyond simple tourism," he says.
In Indonesia, the Confucius Institute at Al-Azhar University organized celebrations under the direction of its Chinese director, Wang Daxin.
During the holidays, events combined park-style activities with stage performances. Visitors could watch lion dances, martial arts, and traditional performances, as well as participate in interactive experiences such as practicing calligraphy, making paper cuttings, learning about tea ceremonies, and making dumplings.
"Our goal is to help more Indonesians understand where these customs come from and what they mean through guided explanations, demonstrations, and hands-on activities," says Wang.
Chen Jinxin, a tourist from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, attended a Sichuan Opera face-changing performance at the institute and described the experience as deeply moving.
"Seeing traditional Chinese arts appreciated abroad makes me proud," he says. "It shows that different cultures can connect, and that understanding and respect are possible across borders."
