When the world comes to China for Spring Festival episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 13, 2026 · 54 MIN

When the world comes to China for Spring Festival

from Chat Lounge

This Spring Festival, China isn't just welcoming the Year of the Horse. It's welcoming the world. Foreign flight bookings are up more than 400 percent, with visitors flooding in from Russia, Europe, and even Argentina. Why now? What's driving this surge? Visas, social media, or something deeper? And as more foreigners come to China to experience the holiday, is Spring Festival becoming a global cultural event. Host Tu Yun joins Helen Han, Co-founder and Secretary General, the Beijing Club for International Dialogue, Dr. Zhou Mi, Senior Research Fellow, the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, and Mike Bastin, China observer and Senior Lecturer, the University of Southampton to break down the boom and what it means for China and for travelers from around the world.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 13, 2026

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When the world comes to China for Spring Festival

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