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China Elevator Stories
Tianjin During Chinese New Year: An Almost Empty City
Some of China’s bigger cities are almost empty during Chinese New Year.
22/02/2026
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
For Chinese New Year’s Eve, I took a train to Tianjin and stayed there for a day. My train to my next destination left late at night, so I walked to the river in Tianjin’s city center and watched the light show that was wishing everyone “luck” for the coming year. The light show was terrific, as are the light shows in many of the big Chinese cities I have seen—such as the one in Qingdao (I made a video back then because it was so beautiful).
The cool thing about Tianjin was that there were almost no people outside—most seemed to have gone back to their hometowns. Some cities in China are made up of a huge migrant population—not immigrants from other countries, but people who come from other parts of China. These people tend to visit their family and relatives in their hometowns or home villages, and aren’t staying in the city during Chinese New Year. This was the case in Tianjin, and when I walked down the river at night, I enjoyed strolling through an almost empty city. If you know how crowded China and its tourist sights can be during other times of the year, you’ll appreciate spending such an awesome time in an almost empty city.
When I boarded my overnight train, it was also almost empty—another really cool thing to experience. There were only a few other people in my compartment, which is rare, since these trains are usually fully booked. In the morning, I looked out the window at the still-dark sky and saw a few fireworks being set off in the villages. Most cities don’t allow fireworks, at least the bigger ones don’t.
Here in Siping, where I am currently, the sounds outside still resemble bombs and war, since people are still celebrating Chinese New Year and using plenty of firecrackers to do so. I have never enjoyed all the noise during Chinese New Year, since it keeps those who are tired, exhausted, or burned out awake (such as many new moms and newborns). I really appreciated the quiet in Tianjin.
Have you ever traveled during Chinese New Year?