Fai chun

People put fai chun in doorways to create an optimistic festive atmosphere, since the phrases written on them refer to good luck and prosperity.

[2] According to the legend, there was a peach tree in the East China Sea that was the gate where the ghosts passed through between the underworld and the world of the living.

People, therefore, used the peach wood to make two puppets of the two gods and put them at the entrance of their home in order to protect their family.

[3] Later on, people simply wrote down the names of the gods on pieces of peach wood and hung them on both sides of the door.

Around the Tang dynasty, commoners no longer wrote the names of the gods only but add some blessings to symbolize good fortune as well as express their hope and best wishes in the new year.

According to the legend, there was a monster who lived in the deep sea and had a lion-like head and an ox-like body, who was named ''Nian'' (年).

Since then, before every New Year, people paste red couplets in and outside their house, and let off firecrackers and fireworks, in order to scare the monster away.

Traditional fai chun is in bright red color with black or gold characters inscribed on it with a brush.

At home, “niánnián yǒuyú” (年年有餘; Surplus year-after-year) are deemed to wish for excess family possessions in the end of the year.

Children usually paste “Xuéyè jìnbù” (學業進步; Progress in studies) on their bedroom doors hoping for higher form position in the coming academic year while the elderly hang “Lóng mǎ jīngshén” (龍馬精神; Spirits of dragon and horse), which is conceived to be able to shelter them from diseases.