This is my second year in China, but my first time being here for Chinese New Year. (In 2009, my conference in Thailand kept me away from all the revelry.) This time, however, not only was I here for the festivites, but spent them with a dear Chinese family in a town two hours north of Harbin. We watched tv, made dumplings, set off fireworks using Grandpa's cigarette as our lighter, and washed as best we could with the ice cold water coming through the tap.
