The rise of a “segmented” way of celebrating the Spring Festival during the long holiday and its collision with traditional ideas of reunion.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

黄刚: 花, we have a nine-day holiday this Spring Festival. I saw in the news that many people are starting to celebrate in a “segmented” way—first family reunion, then traveling. Do you think it’s practical?
陈花: I was just about to tell you! In previous years, we went back to our hometown to visit relatives and were busy every single day, exhausted like we were “fighting a battle.” How about staying up with our parents on New Year’s Eve first, then traveling together from the second day?
黄刚: Sounds good. I used to think you can’t have your cake and eat it too—either reunion or travel. Now that the holiday is longer, maybe we can have the best of both worlds. But will our parents think it’s “not like the New Year”?
陈花: Actually, ideas are changing too. The news says many parents choose a “reverse New Year,” going to the cities where their children work. As long as the family sits together for the New Year’s Eve dinner, is the form really that important?
黄刚: That makes sense. The Spring Festival originally came from an agricultural society as a seasonal ritual, focusing on reunion and gratitude. Now life moves fast—if traveling helps the family relax more, that’s also a new kind of festive atmosphere.
陈花: Exactly! And many places are offering intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, ice and snow festivals, and hot spring activities. We can take our parents to see traditional crafts like paper-cutting and shadow puppetry, so they can experience a different kind of Spring Festival.
黄刚: But transportation might have several peak waves. The news says the second day of the New Year is a travel peak. We’d better book tickets in advance and not leave it to the last minute.
陈花: Haha, you’re right! No matter how we celebrate, the key is not to turn the holiday into pressure. Keep the spirit of reunion, add a bit of freshness to life—maybe that’s the new answer to the Spring Festival in changing times.

Learn about the Chinese custom of year-end cleaning to welcome the New Year.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小宝: 哥哥, why did Mom ask us to clean the house so early in the morning?
小刚: Because the New Year is coming. It’s a Chinese custom called “sweeping away the dust,” which means sweeping away old things and bad luck.
小宝: Can sweeping the floor really drive away bad luck? That sounds amazing!
小刚: Yes! People believe that when the house is clean, the new year will be happier and more blessed.
小宝: Then I’ll wipe the table! I want good fortune to come earlier.
小刚: Great! When sweeping, we usually clean from top to bottom and from inside to outside, so the New Year feels completely refreshed.
小宝: 哥哥, I like this year-end cleaning. It makes the New Year more interesting!

Improper use of smart home appliances can lead to fires, so safety precautions are essential.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小宝: Brother, why did I hear fire trucks last night?
小刚: Because a house caught fire. The wiring of their smart curtains broke.
小宝: Curtains can catch fire too? Aren’t they supposed to be smart?
小刚: No matter how smart an appliance is, if it’s used for a long time or improperly, it can still be dangerous.
小宝: Then should we be worried about our robot vacuum?
小刚: That’s why you should unplug it after charging and keep it away from paper and fabric.
小宝: Got it—safety comes first, right?
小刚: Exactly. Convenience is important, but safety matters more.

Xiao Mei and Xiao Bao talk about what they want to do tomorrow and how they plan to have fun together.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小美: 小宝, what do you want to do tomorrow?
小宝: I want to play with you! We can pretend to be doctors.
小美: Sure! I like being a doctor. What will you prepare?
小宝: I’ll prepare toys, and a little teddy bear patient.
小美: I’ll also prepare my small bag with medicine inside.
小宝: That’s great! You be the doctor and I’ll be the patient, okay?
小美: Okay. Tomorrow I also want to draw pictures.
小宝: What can we draw?
小美: We can draw our home, and mom and dad.
小宝: I want to draw an airplane! Let’s draw together tomorrow.
小美: Okay! Tomorrow will be really fun!

The “self-love economy” is shifting Valentine’s Day from gifting others to rewarding oneself and making more practical purchases.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

赵强: 老黄, Valentine’s Day is coming. Have you noticed? This year, many people aren’t buying gifts for their partners—they’re choosing to ‘love their old self’ and buying gifts for themselves instead.
黄刚: I’ve noticed. A significant portion of single people are buying for themselves, and even married people are valuing ‘practicality’ and ‘experiences’ more, instead of just roses and chocolate.
赵强: From my perspective in marketing, it’s obvious: it’s getting harder to justify the premium on flowers and jewelry, while games, skincare, and sports gear are selling more steadily.
黄刚: That’s related to changing consumer attitudes. With more pressure in life, people would rather spend money on things that ‘make me better’ instead of being led by holiday rituals.
赵强: But that’s not very friendly to brands. Holiday-driven sales rely on explosive growth, while self-reward consumption is frequent and scattered—it’s harder to boost sales in just one day.
黄刚: Not necessarily. If cities, cultural tourism, and the restaurant industry turn ‘self-reward’ into an experience-based scenario, they can actually draw people out to spend.
赵强: To put it plainly, stop saying ‘you must give something to your lover’ and switch to ‘you deserve it.’ Then make solid products—that’s how you get conversions.
黄刚: Yeah, maybe the meaning of holidays is changing—from proving something to others to being more honest with yourself and your relationships.

Overseas netizens imitate Chinese lifestyle habits like drinking hot water and wearing slippers, sparking discussion about cultural identity and resonance.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

陈花: Did you see that trending topic? Lots of foreign netizens said it was their “first time becoming Chinese,” and they very seriously started drinking hot water and soaking their feet.
刘娜: I saw it. It’s actually pretty interesting. In the past they didn’t understand why Chinese people don’t drink iced water, but now they feel it’s a way of taking care of the body.
陈花: Exactly. Some people even “check in” by drinking hot water with goji berries. They say one cup of water helps them find their people—suddenly there’s this cultural resonance.
刘娜: That shows cultural spread doesn’t have to rely on grand theories. Everyday habits can be the most powerful—like wearing slippers or eating congee, all those little details of life.
陈花: I also saw people learning Baduanjin and memorizing the Lunar New Year dates. Their follow-through is stronger than mine—I’m kind of impressed.
刘娜: And most Chinese netizens welcomed it. Instead of accusing them of “cultural appropriation,” they felt understood and respected.
陈花: In the end, they’re not “pretending to be Chinese,” they’re looking for a slower lifestyle that takes better care of themselves.
刘娜: Right. When culture truly goes global, it often happens like this—starting with a cup of hot water.

小美 asks why there is no cat in the Chinese zodiac, and 李芳 tells a simple legend.

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小美: Teacher Li, why is there no Year of the Cat in the Chinese zodiac? I like kittens!
李芳: Many people ask this question. According to a legend, the animals had a race, and the first twelve made it into the zodiac.
小美: Then where did the cat go?
李芳: In the legend, the cat and the rat were originally friends, and the cat asked the rat to wake it up.
小美: Did the rat wake it up?
李芳: No. The cat overslept and missed the race.
小美: So there is no Year of the Cat… Poor cat.
李芳: It’s just a legend, not necessarily true. Different places have different versions.
小美: Then can I invent my own ‘Year of the Cat’?
李芳: Since you like cats so much, maybe the cat celebrates the New Year in your own little world.

In winter, shower water shouldn’t be too hot, showers shouldn’t last too long, and bathing shouldn’t be too frequent, to protect your skin and health.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小宝: Brother, I’m so cold. I want to take a very hot shower right now!
小刚: Not too hot. Around 38 to 40 degrees Celsius is enough. Too hot can make you dizzy.
小宝: Then I’ll shower for a long time, until I’m not cold anymore!
小刚: Not too long either. Five to ten minutes is enough for a shower.
小宝: I want to shower every day and scrub hard so it’s really clean!
小刚: In winter, showering too often and scrubbing too hard can make your skin dry and itchy. Just wash gently.
小宝: Then what if I use very fragrant, strong body wash?
小刚: Use a mild one. After showering, dry off and apply a little body lotion—it’ll feel much more comfortable.