Dear Gossips,

新年快樂!

Happy New Year!

May the Year of the Horse bring happiness and good health, and do I ever need it. My ma was sick last weekend, I’ve been sick this past weekend, so the most apt Lunar New Year greeting for me right now is…

龍馬精神!

The first character in that expression is “dragon”, the second is “horse”. And the last two together mean wide awake, high spirits. So 龍馬精神 means “wishing you the energy of a dragon and a horse”. We’re all going to need it to keep up.

You know who has the energy of a dragon and a horse? Jackie Chan.

Lunar New Year is a huge deal in the entertainment industry in China. One of the most important traditions in Chinese culture during LNY is for people to return home, 回家, as the holiday is a time for reunion. Many if not most families gather for the annual togetherness dinner on Lunar New Year’s eve – in Cantonese we call it 團年飯 – and if it’s happening at home, the TV is always on and everyone’s always watching one of the broadcasts. The North American equivalent would be the New York City ball drop shows.

With all due respect though, the Chinese LNY telecasts make the western versions look like high school talent contests. First of all, many if not most of the biggest stars in the Chinese entertainment industry are expected to show up for the LNY galas and perform. Wang Yibo is a megastar in the east, like it’s impossible to overstate his reach. And he was out here dancing and singing for his life last night on the national broadcast along with Aaron Kwok, one of the four Canto Heavenly Kings, who is now 60 years old, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he moves because he too has the energy of the dragon and horse.

Photo credits: YouTube/Jackie Chan Deutschland

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