美国国家公共电台 NPR As Chinese New Year Approaches, Shanghai's Bustling Streets Grow Quieter

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And tomorrow marks the start of the Chinese New Year and also a time when China's big cities feel empty. Hundreds of millions of workers who migrated there for work are returning home for the holiday. NPR's Rob Schmitz is still in Shanghai, where it really does sound quiet.

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE¹: Any other time of the year, Shengping Lane bustles² with life. But the Lunar New Year holiday is near. Half the city has left for their hometowns, and Shanghai has returned to the Shanghainese. The only vendor³ left in the alley⁴ sells calendars, but soon he'll pack up, too. It's the time of year when Shengping Lane lives up to its name, rising peace.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUNNING)

SCHMITZ: It'll soon be the Year of the Rooster and Yuan Shuizhen is preparing chicken feet in her kitchen for the big meal. The 85-year-old retreats outside and plops down on a chair along the side of the alley chatting with friends.

YUAN SHUIZHEN: (Through translator) All of the outsiders have left for home. It's much quieter this time of year, less crazy.

SCHMITZ: Her two friends nod. The three grannies go through a list of food they'll make for their families.

YUAN: (Foreign language spoken).

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken).

SCHMITZ: Beef, fish, dumplings, hot pot. After a meal with family, they'll go to the Buddhist⁵ temple to pray and burn incense⁶.

YUAN: (Through interpreter) When I was young, we'd go to the cemetery⁷ to worship our ancestors, and then we'd cook one pot of rice, serve it in small bowls and we'd eat it for the next five days. Now we cook meals every single day. Life has improved.

SCHMITZ: Yuan's friend Ni Jindi agrees. But the 94-year-old still grumbles⁸ about her grandchildren. They're all working professionals, and they rarely have time to visit their grandmother here in the lane. This is the only time of year she gets to spend time with them and her great-grandchildren.

NI JINDI: (Through interpreter) They're leaving on the third day of the holiday to go travel somewhere. I don't know exactly where they're going. I'm too old. I'll stay here.

SCHMITZ: She'll have company. Her two friends are great-grandmothers, too. And their families will also fly somewhere exotic after the first of the year. With their families gone and the holiday setting in, Rising Peace Lane will grow even quieter with just the chatter⁹ of three grannies sharing memories of family.

Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Shanghai.