Tourist spots were swamped, movie theaters were packed and fireworks displays lit up the night sky as China celebrated the Lunar New Year with an abandon that marked the end of its three-year "zero COVID" experiment.
The sudden dismantling of China’s COVID-19 restrictions in December allowed everyone to travel and freely mingle for the country’s most important festival for the first time since 2019. More than 300 million trips were made during the holiday, nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The upbeat mood is good news for the Chinese economy and leader Xi Jinping after widespread public anger over the zero tolerance policy erupted late last year, which raised uncomfortable questions and created the potential for backlash. While the revelry is a relief after recurring lockdowns, it also carries the risk of reigniting the omicron wave that scorched the country in recent weeks, filling hospitals and overwhelming crematoriums.