Chinese New Year Eve Dinner in Beijing

Where else can one experience the celebration of Chinese New year with an extreme fun other than Beijing, the capital of China, which dresses itself in a merry mood with a reflecting and charming atmosphere, for the first time it’s quite exciting, for everything looks new with different customs to see and traditional foods to enjoy.

Chinese New Year Festival

Chinese New Year festival is an important and widely celebrated in China and any part of the world where Chinese people can be found. The New Year which is also called spring festival which is based on the lunar calendar has been celebrated since the 20th century which starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

This is a best time for every Chinese to return to his or her hometown to spend some time with families and also give thanks to the Heaven and Earth and also family ancestors ,for the year that has past and reinvigorate themselves for the coming year.

During the festival, houses are decorated with lights and posters, red lanterns and streamers to give a brilliant look. Children are given all kinds of gifts which are wrapped in red packets. Music also plays an important role in the celebration, traditional instruments like drums and also Dancing Dragon and Phoenix etc. are items to usher in the New Year. Not forgetting the Chinese Lion Dancers during the Chinese New Year fair and other activities like fireworks, kung fu and so on.

Chinese New Year Dishes

Chinese love to eat, and are very serious about their food. Been full is the ultimate sign of wellness. That’s why is common greeting in China is “吃饭了没有?”"Chi fan le mei you?” “Have you eaten en yet?” Speaking of which,Chinese New Year Eve Dinner the most luxurious meal of the entire year.During the New Year Celebration a vast amounts of traditional foods are prepared for families and friends as well as the family ancestors in honour of both past and current generations.

Dishes like,Jai are eaten during the New Year celebration. All ingredients in Jai symbolize good fortune, long life and abundance,

For example:

Lotus - signifies having male offspring 

Dried oysters - For good business 

Dried beans curd - Homonym for fulfilment of wealth 

Chinese black mushrooms - Getting wishes granted 

Bean noodles called fun see - symbolize long life 

Bamboo shoots - is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well" 

Lily buds - Symbolise 100 years of blissful union

Ginkgo nut - represents silver ingots

Snow peas- bring in prosperity.

Soup for Chinese New Year Dinner is mostly the bird’s nest soup which symbolizes long life and youthfulness and also Sharks fin which symbolizes prosperity. A whole
Duck or Chicken with head and feet symbolize unity or wholeness.
Fish - With head and tail intact symbolize Togetherness and Abundance
Noodles - should be uncut as they symbolize long life

Dumplings - Brings prosperity and luck into the New Year.

Most Popular and Famous Restaurants that Offer Chinese New Year Eve's Dinner

Generally, the popular restaurants in Beijing are almost fully booked for Chinese New Year's Eve, with three weeks to go before the most important annual dinner.Below are recommended restaurants to have your Chinese New Year Eve Dinner, when you find yourself in Beijing.

Beijing Purple Jade Country Club
Location:Chaoyang District 20 minutes away from Beijing International Airport
Tel: 010-64925551-6008

Tianjin Bai Jiao Yuan
Location: 12A Xin Wenhua Jie
Tel: 010 6605 9371

Guandicun No. 00001
Location in Yanxizhenxia, Huairou district, Beijing.
Tel: 010 1369 1113 302