Grand Spring Festival celebration in progress

Shanxi province's civilization office, which is in charge of cultural events, sent people to Pingyao county, the province's most popular tourist site and a World Heritage site, on Feb 10, to check on its preparations for the Chinese New Year, a brand celebration for Spring Festival, which starts Feb 11, or Dec 23 on the lunar calendar, on the Yingxunmen Square.

The individual programs are going smoothly and the visitors took a look at key celebration spots for the opening ceremony and a steamed bun competition, for the local delicacy.

Zhao Dongjun, the vice-head of the civilization office, pointed to how Pingyao's New Year, which is a local brand, has made local people's lives more festive and has attracted large numbers of tourists from other places. He urged the organizers to find more of these programs while ensuring security because of the large crowds of people.

The county has worked rigorously on its safety plans and has done emergency drills to prevent the occurrence of stampedes, fires or dangerous events more effectively for a safe, happy celebration.