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  Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT Dear reader, as you read this, the curtain is rising on the most significant and heartwarming moment of the year for countless Chinese families. Wanderers have returned to their nests, and lights are glowing in millions of homes. The opening act of this grand festival is, and always will be, the Nianyefan - the Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner. It is more than just a carnival for the taste buds; it is a totem of emotion and belonging. However, if we zoom out and look at the rising steam from these meals for over 20 years, we see something more: a condensed history of China's opening-up to the world. Twenty years ago, the reunion dinner was a soulful "folk ballad." Today, it has evolved into a grand "global symphony." Let us rewind the clock to the early 2000s. At that time, China had only recently joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Back then, the menu was dominated by the "Big Four" staples: chicken, duck...

China’ s total box office revenue for 2026 reached $970 million, surpassing North America and temporarily ranking first among single markets worldwide, according to Maoyan, a Chinese movie-ticketing and film data platform on Saturday. On February 19 local time, Deadline Hollywood, an online outlet covering the US entertainment industry, published a report highlighting China’s Spring Festival season. The piece stated, “The biggest movies at this weekend’s worldwide box office won’t be from Hollywood — sorry, Wuthering Heights — but rather China,” and noted that Spring Festival sales chart led by Pegasus 3 are expected to dominate the global box office this weekend. The piece introduced the rough plots of five Chinese New Year release films: Pegasus 3, Scare Out, Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector, Blades of the Guardians, and the Jackie Chan-starring Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe.  Photo: Screenshot of a report by Deadline Hollywood The author of the report, Anthony D'Alessandro, ...