Today feels like the first real day where you can sense spring is on its way. The air in Beijing has that specific crispness to it—still cold enough for a heavy coat this morning, but the sunlight has a different quality, and you can almost feel the city shaking off the last of the winter slumber. It was a busy Monday, the kind that kicks off the week with a lot of energy.
The big talk on social media this morning was all about the Lantern Festival weekend that just passed. My feed was flooded with photos from the big displays in places like Xi’an and Nanjing—absolutely stunning. It looked like the whole country was out enjoying the final official day of the New Year celebrations. Now that the festival is over, the “New Year feeling” is officially wrapping up. You can tell in the cities; all the migrant workers are back, restaurants are at full capacity again, and the morning commute this morning was back to its usual bustling, chaotic self.
On the economic front, the main chatter is around the “two sessions” coming up in a couple of weeks. There’s a lot of speculation in the news and on WeChat about what new policies might be announced to give the property market another nudge. People are watching closely.
Oh, and everyone I know is refreshing their delivery apps this afternoon. It’s the first day of the big “post-festival” sales on all the major e-commerce platforms. It’s the perfect storm of retailers clearing out winter stock and people having just gotten their paychecks after the holiday spending spree. I’ve already caved and bought a new air fryer. Don’t judge me.
All in all, just a normal, busy Monday as China gets fully back into the swing of things for 2026. Hope you’re having a good one wherever you are.