Making phone calls and sending text messages will be the two main ways Chinese intend to express good wishes this year at Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year.
A report produced by the Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC) said postcards, phone calls, short message service (SMS) and email will supplement traditional ways, such as visiting from door to door, to exchange New Year greetings.
According to the SSIC, with repetitions included, 79 percent of respondents surveyed said they preferred making phone calls to wish people a happy New Year and 61 percent chose sending mobile phone text messages. Only 47 percent of the respondents favored visits.
Twenty-two percent of respondents said they would try email or online video to convey New Year's greetings to friends, relatives or lovers, said the report.
Spring Festival, which falls on February 9 this year, is the most important festival for people of Chinese origin and an occasion for family reunions.
Traditionally, people walk long distances to see older relatives or friends, expressing good wishes for the New Year.
(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2005)
