英闻天下——277 Qingdao Locals Celebrate Spring Festival

 　　While shopping malls and supermarkets have sprung up around Qingdao, an international city in east China's Shandong Province, people are still fond of visiting traditional open air markets in the countryside during the New Year. The Licun village Fair is one of the biggest in Qingdao, and has a history dating back more than 500 years. For many locals during the Spring Festival it's a must to visit.

 
　　"I want to buy some red couplets and talismans 1."
 
　　"I came for some cushions for my sofa."
 
　　"This fair is more like a sight-seeing for me. I just hang out here and when I find something good, I'll pick it up. This is the best way to feel the festive 2 atmosphere. You cannot see much of it these days in other places."
 
　　A man surnamed 3 Gao has sold fruits and nuts from his stall 4 here for 20 years.
 
　　"I was here last year and every year. This year the fruits and nuts all sold well, about twenty to thirty thousand yuan every day."
 
　　A man surnamed Wang is a stall keeper who sells seafood 5. He's not the kind of person who is easy to bargain with.
 
　　"If you want high quality stuff 6, you pay a high price; if you pay low, you get the average stuff. It's new year time, so I guess you want good quality, right? I don't know how to sell it cheap."
 
　　Seafood is a must on Qingdao festival tables. They have all kinds of fish, shrimp 7, scallops and clams 8 cooked in different styles. Many Qingdao residents 9 come to the fair frequently to purchase seafood.
 
　　"This fair is where we buy seafood, fresh or dried. I've bought some fresh fish and brought it back home. Today I want to get some dried scallops and clams. I come every year."
 
　　Another must on the dinner table is sausages. If you travel to Qingdao around Spring Festival time, you will see a unique scene of many windows decorated with hanging sausages. At this market you can get your sausages made right in front of your eyes and then bring them home.
 
　　"Every year I have some sausages made here, more or less. It's a tradition. I can watch the whole producing process. It's convenient. And the food safety is ensured."
 
　　A man surnamed Chu makes a living out of producing and selling sausages.
 
　　"I sell four to five tons of sausages every year. Around 100 kilograms every day."
 
　　But many people prefer to make them at home in a more traditional way.
 
　　"I buy some meat in advance. I prefer the touch and chewy part and save it for a long time. This way the sausages are very tasty, with a special aroma 10."
 
　　Wang Duo, a sociologist 11 based in Qingdao, says there are more new ways that the locals celebrate the Spring Festival.
 
　　"Actually the customs keep changing from time to time, as the environment changes from time to time. As the old traditions fade out, the new ones begin to form. For example, many people choose to do the New Year shopping online these days, and they send New Year wishes through short messages. These are all new ways to celebrate the Spring Festival."
 
　　For CRI, this is Xiangwei.