People wave national flags after a grand national flag-raising ceremony was held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Jan 1, 2023. The ceremony was part of the celebrations for the New Year's Day. (ZHANG CHENLIN / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Early on Sunday morning, a grand national flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing launched the New Year's Day celebrations in China.

"To watch the national flag-raising ceremony in Tian'anmen Square is my first wish for the New Year!" said seven-year-old Qiao Xuwen.

In the country's "ice city" of Harbin, where the temperature had dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the Harbin Ice-Snow World theme park welcomed its first batch of visitors in 2023

In the country's "ice city" of Harbin, where the temperature had dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the Harbin Ice-Snow World theme park welcomed its first batch of visitors in 2023.

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In this 810,000-square-meter park, 150,000 cubic meters of ice and snow have been turned into hundreds of landscapes for tourists to enjoy.

"I come here with my friends to celebrate the New Year. The colder I feel, the happier I am," said a tourist surnamed Feng. "I can't wait to see the giant illuminated snow sculptures at night."

In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a night market has been drawing consumers since the New Year's Eve with its unique intangible cultural heritage demonstrations and products.

Zhong Kui, a sugar painter, quickly scooped up a spoonful of malt syrup from the pot. As he moved the spoon around, the steaming syrup poured down onto an iron plate, forming a beautiful pattern.

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"I used to sell sugar paintings in the street by shouting out loud, but now I don't have to. More and more people have been drawn to traditional cultures such as sugar painting," Zhong said. "I no longer worry about sales."

In Shanghai, 23-year-old Cui Qiaosen and his fellow workers were tying up steel bars at a construction site on the first day of 2023.

The project they're working on is the city's first municipal railway, which will stretch 68.6 km and slash the travel time between the city's two airports from 1.5 hours to 40 minutes.

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"We want to catch up with progress before the Spring Festival, so we will have a worry-free holiday," Cui said.