The Chinese New Year is a time for making wishes. But unlike in the West, the tradition in China seems to have grown increasingly charged with superstition as more Chinese turn to a myriad of deities to grant them better times ahead.
On the first day of the lunar calendar last year, Lama Temple (or Yonghegong) in Beijing drew a crowd of nearly 80,000 who burned joss sticks to seek the blessings of their gods; the figure for the previous Lunar New Year was about 67,000. The turnout could be much higher in a couple of weeks when the nation celebrates Spring Festival.
While explanations abound, I tend to believe feelings of uncertainty or sometimes helplessness, or both, have driven many to deities that are believed to possess magical powers. When I think about my wishes for the nation and myself in the Year of the Horse, I realize some of them look set to happen, but most would require luck and a touch of miracle. Here are my five top hopes.
1: More blue-sky days: In 2013, Beijing saw 58 heavily polluted days with smoggy skies, or almost 16 percent of the year. Urban residents now live in constant fear of smog striking any time again even during lulls of blue skies. While the nation sorely needs to devise a coherent and viable strategy to clear smog, scientists and officials have locked horns over the main causes of the pollution woes.
I pray for a miracle, without which we'll continue to count on strong winds to blow away smog.
2: Safer food: President Xi Jinping's impromptu visit to a Qingfeng Steamed Bun outlet late last month has hugely boosted the reputation of local dishes and renewed people's love affair with traditional dishes. At the restaurant, Xi ordered six pork-stuffed steamed buns, stewed pig liver soup and a plate of vegetables, which have since become one of the most popular set meals in the restaurant chain.
Like many other Chinese consumers who are jittery about frequent food contamination, my family has always tried to avoid cheap, mass-market food. But after Xi ate at Qingfeng, we followed suit and found the eatery clean, and its buns and porridge tasted delicious.
I hope the president's visit marks a new beginning for other local food brands, too.
3: Better working conditions for journalists: Believe it or not, journalism has become one of the most stressful and dangerous jobs in China. Last week, the All-China Journalists Association launched a special fund to compensate journalists who have died or have been injured in the line of duty, with claims ranging from 5,000 yuan ($852.6) to 300,000 yuan.
I wish good luck to colleagues and fellow journalists who risk their health and even lives in the competition to grab headlines and readers' attention.
4: Happier family life with anti-graft campaign: Corruption may have played a significant role in many family break-ups because crooked officials are more likely to be unfaithful to their spouses. Since the end of last year, officials in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, have been asked to answer the question, "Do you desire extra-marital affairs or sex outside marriage?", as a key indicator of corruption.
The ongoing anti-corruption drive has significantly reduced the nightlife and other extra curricular activities of people in power. The latest joke doing the rounds is that the divorce rate could fall as more officials head home after work.
5: Stabilizing housing prices: The continuing frenzied home sales at stratospheric prices surprized both homeowners and property agents last year. In the last five years,home prices have risen by three to four times in Beijing.
While sellers are laughing their way to the bank and buyers are rushing to take the plunge, remember the popular belief that housing prices will only go up is false. Let's pray the market will stabilize soon to avoid a housing bubble, which will have a serious impact on the economy and millions of homeowners when it bursts.
by Bai Ping ChinaDaily
