Shanghai celebrates Chinese New Year - AsiaRooms.com

AsiaRooms.com can announce that Shanghai could be one of the best destinations in which to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Next month, residents of the city and people staying in Shanghai hotels will gather to welcome in the year of the tiger with red lantern shows, dragon parades and dramatic firework displays.

In the city this year, Chinese New Year festivities will get underway on February 14th and run until February 28th, when the Lantern Festival brings proceedings to a close.

Those looking to join in the celebrations in Shanghai are advised to visit a Miaohui, also known as a temple fair.

Here they will find a diverse range of entertainment, including folk dances, historical re-enactments and martial arts demonstrations.

Although the city is keen to uphold its traditions, this year's festival is expected to be slightly different as Shanghai gears up to host the World Expo 2010 in May.

Shanghai Daily recently reported that the city government will aim to restrict the use of fireworks and firecrackers in certain places during the new year celebrations.

Areas such as the Expo site and travel hubs like airport and railway stations will be declared off-limits for pyrotechnics.

However, the traditional use of firecrackers will still be permitted in all other places between 6pm and 8am the next morning.