Tomorrow is Chu Yi (初一), the first day of the lunar new year on the Chinese calendar. For those of you keeping track, it marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat. If the thought of a rat makes you wrinkle your nose, you can call it Year of the Mouse, since the Chinese word for rat— 鼠—can also be translated as mouse. (I prefer mouse, thank you very much!)
As is the case with Christmas in the west, Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival, as it called in China) is a time to be with family. And as is in every culture in the world, many families are broken and hurting, so the holiday can be a painful time as estrangements come into sharper focus.
Apple has released a short film tackling this theme, titled Daughter, in which we see three generations of women reunited by the holiday. That it is an ad for iPhone notwithstanding, it’s a heartwarming film that will have you reaching for the Kleenex.
Wherever you are this Spring Festival, may it be a special time for you with family and friends.
On behalf of the ChinaSource team, Happy Year of the Rat/Mouse!
Image credit: sipa from Pixabay
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
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