YIWU -- The Chinese people are holding all kinds of celebrations to greet the Spring Festival, China's most important holiday centering on family reunions.

In 2023, the Chinese Lunar New Year fell on January 22, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit, fourth in line on the Chinese zodiac.

In Liaocheng City of east China's Shandong Province, many people swarmed to a local open-air fair to buy food, delicacies and holiday decorations for festival celebrations.

"Actually I've prepared everything for the festival. I just feel happy here, even though I don't need to buy anything. It's just for fun," said Zong Yanxia, a local resident.

Yiwu City in east China presented a live traditional Chinese opera performance, a traditional Chinese fashion show and a light show for residents. Folk artists were invited to display their intangible cultural heritage skills. Visitors can get Spring Festival couplets for free from calligraphy lovers.

Pingyao, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in north China's Shanxi Province, has been decorated with red lanterns to welcome tourists from all over the country during the week-long Spring Festival holiday that starts from January 21.

As some parts of China have the tradition of buying phalaenopsis orchids during the Spring Festival, flower suppliers are happy to see half of their inventory already cleared up one week before the festival.

"This is the first year I do online group buying. I didn't expect so many orders. We've sold half of our phalaenopsis orchids. We expect a high sales volume of phalaenopsis orchids this year," said Guo Ziwei, a flower supplier.

With the Spring Festival just around the corner and the Chinese people busy with special purchases for the festival, sales of fresh seafood and fruits have surged in many cities.

"Now we supply over 1,300 tons of vegetables and 300 tons of fruits per day," said Lu Bo, deputy general manager of the Jiangnan Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Haikou City of south China's Hainan Province.