Traditional Chinese new year is changing - and the UK needs to catch up | Yuan Ren
(The Guardian China)

With a rise in Chinese people travelling abroad in the festive season, shopping is proving more popular than lion dancesChinese new year begins today and this weekend London, like cities across the west, will be hosting a series of colourful events in and around Chinatown, a veritable carnival of `lively parades, martial arts displays and immersive family experiences` to welcome the year of the dog.But while Londoners enjoy immersing themselves in lion dances or playing dress-up in traditional Han costumes, Chinese tourists hitting the capital are indulging in a different kind of new year tradition: shopping on Oxford Street. Related: Burberry UK sales slump as Chinese shopping spree ends As travel becomes the norm for China´s middle class, Britain will need to shift its perception of Chinese culture Related: Bicester Village: top UK tourist attraction and shopping Shangri-la Continue reading...