At 4 am, while most of Shaowu in northern Fujian province is still asleep, steam rises from Cai Minjun's shop. Inside, a dozen women sit around long tables in the fluorescentlit workspace, pinching, folding, and sealing to transform lumps of dark-speckled rice dough into crescent-shaped dumplings.
Each gets a distinctive crimped pattern before being arranged on pine needles in bamboo steamers. In addition to this local specialty, more than 60 cultural and tourism events in Shaowu have spanned the holiday period, including cycling tours along local classic mountain trails, street fairs selling traditional New Year goods, and cultural souvenirs. Calligraphers are invited to write spring couplets and the character for "fortune" (fu) for shoppers, according to local authorities. The events run from early February through March, covering both Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, says Wang Zhenhua, director of the city's industry and information bureau. The goal is for everyone to spend the Chinese New Year in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.
