Relax and Meet up with Friends

Elisabeth Beltran, CEO of Tayrona Beijing, Germany

Throughout my 18 years of living in China, I have enjoyed various celebrations of Spring Festival. My husband and I like quiet environments, we enjoy the colorful display of fireworks in the sky, but are also thankful for the quietness when the morning comes. We have stayed in Beijing for the last several years during Spring Festival, because we enjoy relaxing by strolling around the parks, rivers, and avenues with fewer crowds after most people leave the city for the holidays.

During the festival holiday, we often meet up with friends, mostly foreign students, and invite them to our home, where we enjoy making dumplings and playing games together. Since we have been in China for many years, we also like to explain some of the many Chinese customs during the season to friends who are new to China.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, my husband and I will follow the traditions of our Chinese friends of staying up to watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV, but we like to paint pictures while we watch the program. Over the years, we have created several paintings which now decorate our living room walls.

This year’s Spring Festival will coincide with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Even though the atmosphere is not as festive as it would be without COVID-19 and we will only be able to see the performances of athletes on TV instead of in person, we wish the athletes well and are sure they will do their best.