Time 1^st day for the 1^st lunar month, which falls on January 28 in 1998, January 16 in 1999, and February 5 in 2000.

Venue All over the country.

Origin Spring Festival originated in the sacrificial ceremony held shortly after the winter solstice during the early Xia Dynasty (c. 21^st-16^th century), when China was still in the primitive society. The ritual was designed to repay the blessings of the god and celebrate bumper harvests. Today, it has become the foremost of all traditional festivals for the Chinese people.

Time 15^th day of the 1^st lunar month, which falls on February 11 in 1998, March 2 in 1999, and February 19 in 2000.

Venue All over the country.

Origin The Lantern Festival had its origin in the Han Dynasty. King Wen of the Western Han Dynasty officially designated the 15^th day of the 1^st lunar month as Lantern Festival, and during the reign of King Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Chinese began to celebrate this festival by holding lantern shows. During the Yongping reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty, King Ming, in an effort to promote Buddha, ordered that lanterns be lit up in palaces and monasteries at night as tribute to Buddha. Aristocrats and commoners alike were asked to hang lanterns at the front gates of their houses. Hence the name, Lantern Festival. The practice gradually became part of the Chinese folklore and is celebrated in pomp and pageantry. During the Song Dynasty, "yuan xiao", a kind of dumplings made of glutinous rice flour and stuffings, were invented. Such dumplings were boiled in water until they floasted; made exclusively in celebration of the Lantern Festival, which is also called "Yuanxiao Festival", these dumplings are also know as "yuanxiao’.

Time Early February-Early March.

Venue Zigong, Sichuan Province.

Origin As early as the Tang dynasty the people of Zigong were already putting on lantern displays during Spring Festival. The custom remains alive and kicking to this day. The municipal government of Zigong makes it a point to sponsor a traditional lantern show every year during the Spring Festival

Time April 4-6 every year.

Venue Qintong Town, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Time28^th-30^th of the 12^th lunar month, which fall on January 26-27 in 1998. February 13-15 in 1999, and February 3-4 in 2000.

Venue Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

OriginDuring the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), tea sales flourished, and the demand for flowers as ingredients for the making of flower tea snowballed, thereby providing a great impetus to flower cultivation in China. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns, flower fairs emerged in some cities. During the fairs the streets were lined with booths selling such flowers as water lily and lilac, which bloom in summer, osmanthus and nandina which come out in autumn and red maple; and magnolia and winter jasmine which come into full glory in late winter. Today, all these flowers can be seen at the Guangzhou Spring Flower Fair, which takes place on New Year’s Eve. For Guangzhou residents the Flower Fair is part of Spring Festival celebrations.

Time April 13-15, 1998, 1999, and 2000

Venue Jinghong, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.

Origin Legend has it that there once lived a demon king who was wreaking havoc in Xishuangbanna by taking seven young women as his wives against their will. The women finally rose in rebellion and killed the demon king, thereby ridding the area of a scourge. However, the chopped head of the demon king kept rolling causing fire in its trail, and the fire could be put out only when one of the women held it in her arms. Thus the seven women took turns holding the demon head once a year. When one woman’s turn was over, the local people would splash water on her, so as to rinse her of the blood and expel the evil spirits out of her; the gesture was also an expression of gratitude for the women for keeping the local people from harm’s way. With the passing of time, the demon king’s head was finally burned to ashes. Splashing water on each other, however, has gradually evolved into part of local custom.

Time 3^rd day of 3^rd lunar month, which falls on March 30 in 1998, April 18 in 1999, and April 7 in 2000.

Venue Hainan Province: Qiongzhong, Dongfang, Changjiang, Ledong, Baisha County, and Tongshi.

Origin Legend has it that in antiquity, the Li people living by the Changhua River in Hainan perished during a major flood. Only a brother by the name of Tianfei and his younger sister, Guanyin, survived. Guanyin, after preening and primping herself, married her brother on the 3^rd day of the 3^rd lunar month, and thus the ethnic Li people thrived once again. The descendents make it a pint to mark k the anniversary for the wedding of the couple by holding a ceremony to offer them libation and sacrifices. Gradually this evolved into a traditional festival during which young people of the Li communities mingle and scout for suitable lovers.

Time April 15-25 every year.

Venue Luoyang, Henan Province.

Origin "the peony of Luoyang is the most beautiful under heaven,’ as the saying goes. The peony, the emblem flower of Luoyang, is lauded as "queen of flowers with ethereal color and celestial fragrance". Since the Tang Dynasty no Chinese city has been able to rival Luoyang in growing peonies. Growing the peony and marveling at it has, in tact, long been a local obsession. Of the 500,000 peony shrubs in 350-odd strains that are cultivated in Luoyang, the yaohuang (Yao’s yellow peony) and weizi (Wei’s purple peony) are the "king" and " queen" of all peonies. The first Luoyang Peony Festival took place on April 15-25 in 1983; since then it has become a major annual event.

Time April 25 and October 4 every year

Venue Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province

Origin Mazu was born Lin Muniang in 960 AD, or, to be exact, the 23^rd day of the 3^rd lunar month of the 1^st year of the Jianlong reign of the Song Dynasty, and died on the 9^th day of the 9^th lunar month at the age of 28. As a philanthropist she offered medical service for fellow islanders, and with her weather forecasting ability she saved many fishermen from the menace of typhoons. Touched by her good and moral deeds, the local people deified her as Angel of the Sea and Holy Mother who could bring blessings to them. A temple was built and dedicated to her memory on the Meizhou Island, so that islanders could offer sacrifices to her.

Time April 20-25 every year.

Venue Weifang, Shangdong Province.

Origin With a kite-making history of 500-600 years, Weifang is known throughout the world as one of China’s three major kite-making schools along with Beijing and Tianjin. Unmatched artisanship and diverse subject matter that draws heavily from local folk life characterize Weifang kites. Since 1984 Weifang has been the site of an annual international kite festival, which attracts numerous visitors from every nook and cranny of the world. During the fanfare the sky of the city is swarmed with kites ingeniously designed and colorfully decorated. This is perhaps one of the reasons why Weifang has been lauded by kite fans as "capital of the world of kites". The international Kites Federation is headquarte red in Weifang.