Pingyao county, in Shanxi province has plans to collect Spring Festival wishes on its account with Weibo, a Chinese "twitter-style" site, Jan 22 - Feb 5, complete with awards for the best, to stimulate people and give more meaning to the Chinese New Year, so, Internet users are welcome to check the provincial Tourism Bureau and county government accounts to share their feelings and their wishes.
These are expected to be both original and Spring Festival- and Pingyao Chinese New Year-related. People can upload their sentiments on Weibo, then send private messages to the Pingyao Tourism website, with contact information to identify the award winners. There will be 30 wishes (sentences or poems) chosen by a panel of experts, then pared down to 10 finalists, with each winner getting two free tickets to Pingyao's Old Town.
Pingyao started its "Chinese New Year" culture program, in 2006, for China's biggest event of the year and it has grown in popularity among both locals and foreign visitors with its variety of folk activities. Back in 2008, the Party Central Committee recognized Pingyao as a key cultural tradition center and now, after years of improvements, its "Chinese New Year?" has become a symbol of Spring Festival tourism in the province and the rest of the country.
