Sending Away the Old, Welcoming the New
除旧迎新：中国新年展

In Chinese communities around the world, the Lunar New Year is considered the most joyful of all traditional festivals. Rooted in China’s agrarian past, the festival is celebrated throughout China and abroad, stressing renewal, hope, and good fortune for all. The celebrations bring the Chinese people together in the belief that the festival is a way of banishing misfortunes accumulated in the past. This exhibition introduced the richness, variety, and continuity of New Year traditions, showing an array of artifacts used during this auspicious time of year. By presenting the archival and the modern, including photography, traditional costumes, toys, clothes, and ritual and household objects used in China from the Han dynasty (206 BCE– 220 CE) to the present, the holiday was brought vividly to life.