Colorful years

Lanxi Town is a renowned center for grain production and processing in China, and one of the country's top ten rice markets. The town boasts over a hundred large-scale grain processing enterprises. Its abundant and high-quality grains are highly favored by consumers across the country.

Lanxi boasts a long history and a wealth of talent. During the fervent revolutionary struggle, it produced revolutionary martyrs such as Yuan Zhuren, Ouyang Ze, Ouyang Diyu, and Tang Luquan, as well as revolutionary writers like Ye Zi. After the resumption of the college entrance examination, it continued to produce outstanding individuals, including over twenty PhDs such as Yang Bing, and renowned scholars like Tang Kejing, a nationally acclaimed professor of classical Chinese.

Lanxi Town has a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons, abundant sunshine, and plentiful rainfall. Its terrain slopes from south to north, forming a typical alluvial plain with fertile soil suitable for rice cultivation. Farmland is abundant throughout the area, and waterways crisscross it, making it a typical "land of fish and rice" in southern China.

During the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, when water transport flourished, Lanxi's prosperity rivaled that of Luoyang, the eastern capital. At that time, Lanxi's water transport was highly developed, with frequent boat traffic and busy cargo transport. The streets of Lanxi were lined with shops, bustling with people. The dazzling array of goods attracted merchants from all over the country to trade.

Zhang Cong thought that with this information and knowledge as a foundation, he would feel more confident when chatting with his parents-in-law. He looked forward to arriving in Yiyang as soon as possible, meeting Wang Li's parents, experiencing the local customs and culture, and integrating into this warm family. He believed that this trip to Yiyang would be a wonderful experience in his life.

As the sun gradually set, painting the sky in orange-red hues, a bus, like a weary traveler, slowly pulled into Yiyang Bus Station.

As the vehicle came to a smooth stop, the passengers began to stir, standing up from their seats.

Some people couldn't wait to stand on tiptoe and crane their necks to look out the car window; others methodically took their backpacks and suitcases from the overhead luggage rack; still others bent down and laboriously dragged out bags full of local specialties and gifts from under their seats.

For a moment, the carriage was filled with all sorts of sounds: the scraping of luggage, people greeting each other, and the occasional excited screams of children.

As soon as the train doors opened, passengers poured out like a tide. Some carried heavy bags, walking hurriedly; others struggled to carry large suitcases on their shoulders; still others held young children in one hand and carried bulging shopping bags in the other. They filed out and quickly blended into the bustling crowd, heading towards the exit.

Zhang Cong sat by the window, quietly observing everything. He noticed that these passengers came from all over the country and had diverse backgrounds.

There were cadres and staff members who worked hard in other places. They were dressed in suits and ties, carrying exquisite briefcases, and their faces revealed a hint of eagerness to return home.

There were also merchants who went out to do business, carrying bags full of goods on their backs, their eyes sparkling with the joy of a harvest;

There were also farmers working away from home, dressed simply, carrying sacks full of local specialties on their shoulders. Although they looked a little tired, their steps were firm and powerful.

However, despite their different backgrounds and professions, these people share the same wish at this moment—to go home for the Chinese New Year.

Everyone is carrying some New Year's goods or carefully prepared gifts, perhaps health products for parents, or new clothes and toys for children.

For Chinese people, the Spring Festival is not just a holiday, but also a time for family reunion and a warm haven of kinship.

The Spring Festival, an ancient festival with a history of thousands of years, is simply awe-inspiring! Whether it is the icy and snowy northern Xinjiang, or the sunny and fragrant southern Xinjiang; whether it is the bustling city or the peaceful countryside, people all over China will put down their busy work and embark on the journey home.

This massive, nationwide celebration has continued year after year without interruption. So, what force enables such a vast nation to possess such strong cohesion? Is it the preservation of traditional culture? Is it the deep affection for family and kinship? Or is it the profound love for the motherland hidden in the hearts of every Chinese son and daughter?

Zhang Cong believes this is the power of family affection, like a warm light illuminating the path forward for the Chinese people. It makes the Chinese people consciously follow the great principles of human relations, and its power transcends religion, politics, and money.

Whether their homes are in remote villages or bustling cities, people will travel thousands of miles and cross mountains to return home. Nothing can stop the Chinese people's determined steps to go home for the Spring Festival, because it is a call from the heart and a pull from family ties.

The identification with customs is a harmonious resonance of lifestyles, a beautiful crystallization of long-term integration of ways of life. This integration inevitably shapes a shared collective personality, thereby constructing the cultural values ​​of the Chinese nation.

The main thread of this culture is the bond of kinship that extends from the family as its core. Everyone, no matter where they are, is connected to this invisible thread in their heart.

Countless Chinese people have countless such threads, which intertwine to form a network of blood ties woven by the emotions of the Chinese people.

This immense sense of unity has never waned despite the passage of time. Even as imperial power changed and dynasties shifted, the Chinese people's original aspiration to return home for the Lunar New Year and nurture family bonds remained constant. "Whether rich or poor, people go home for the Lunar New Year"—this is the Chinese people's deep affection for their clan and bloodline, and their attachment to their roots.

Many people have expressed concern that holidays from outside the country, such as Christmas and Valentine's Day, may gradually erode the Chinese people's unwavering commitment to and inheritance of their own traditional festivals.

However, whenever the annual Spring Festival travel rush begins, as long as we are in places like train stations, docks, or airports, and witness the surging, tide-like flow of people rushing headlong towards home, we will suddenly realize that the place we truly yearn to return to deep in our hearts is like an indestructible and irresistible force.

Even if all the world's festivals were listed on a calendar, it would probably be difficult to shake the deep affection and fervent anticipation that Chinese people have for the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival, an ancient traditional festival deeply embedded in the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, demonstrates an unparalleled cohesive and unifying power for the entire nation, which is truly astonishing!

On this vast land of China, the Spring Festival is not just a simple festival symbol, but also a high degree of identification of all Chinese people with their own culture; at the same time, it is the most vivid and powerful external manifestation of the cultural confidence of the Chinese people.

It is also a vivid portrayal of folk customs, people's voices, and social aspirations, which are formed by the cultural consciousness of countless people.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Chinese New Year is the most perfect interpretation of the beautiful emotions of Chinese people around the world who love life and cherish family ties!

Great nations give birth to great cultures, and great cultures unite great nations! Greatness is not just empty boasting, but rather the deep-rooted identity formed in the blood of a vast ethnic group through thousands of years of trials and tribulations.

This is the source of the enduring charm of Chinese civilization! The Spring Festival is the brilliant blossoming of this charm, a refuge for our souls, and a grand feast of Chinese culture!

Feeling the strong festive atmosphere of the New Year, Zhang Cong carried fifty pounds of pork on his shoulder and followed closely behind Wang Li, walking out of the station with the flow of people heading back to their hometowns for the New Year.