New Year celebrations

Lion dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the annual fair at the Temple of the Earth, on the eve of Chinese New Year Wednesday Feb. 6, 2008. Thousands of Chinese are expected to flock to temple fairs across the city to celebrate Spring Festival, the annual holiday which marks the arrival of the Lunar New Year. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

Performers take part in a celebration at a park on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008, in Beijing. Each year thousands of Chinese flock to temples and parks to ring in the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar. (AP Photo)

Chinese children dressed in Olympic-themed jump suits wave to the crowd at the conclusion of a celebration at a park on the eve of Chinese New Year on Wednesday Feb. 6, 2008 in Beijing, China. Each year thousands of Chinese flock to temples and parks to ring in the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar. (AP Photo)