Tourists explore an exhibition at the Sui-Tang Dynasties Grand Canal Cultural Museum in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province on January 1, 2025. Photo: VCG

In the first morning of 2025, Chinese girl Xiao Mei, in her 30s, queued in front of the National Museum of ­China in Beijing for the Ancient ­China exhibition. 

"I am fond of Chinese history, so I visited the museum for the New Year," she told the Global Times. The exhibition gives a complete picture of the long history of China from prehistoric times to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and shows in a comprehensive way the vitality and continuous evolution of Chinese civilization through a large number of valuable cultural relics. 

Celebrating the New Year together in cultural and artistic venues like museums, galleries and theaters was a popular choice among young people.  

"Today's young people pay great attention to the ritual sense of New Year's Eve, and the experience of enjoying a holiday," Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"Venues like museums, theaters and cinemas can meet their needs and give them the sense of ritual they want. Besides this, the content they offer is also very attractive to them." 

Opposite the National Museum of China is the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum, where tourist guide Zoe Wang takes tourists from around the globe to tour one of the world's most visited museums. 

"So many people started to line up very early in the morning. Among them were a lot of foreigners," she told the Global Times on Wednesday morning, noting that she was set to guide another group that afternoon. 

Due to its vast collection and different exhibitions, the museum received millions of visitors every year. People recently have been lining up for the Civilization Vanguard: Ling­jiatan Culture Jade Exhibition, which includes a total of 399 significant artifacts from five archaeological and cultural institutions across the country at the museum's Wenhua Hall. 

Among the key exhibits are the "Carved Jade Tablet," which features rich philosophical thought, the "Double Ring Jade Disc," which inspired the design of the medals for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the "Jade Turtle," which reflects the worship of nature during the Neolithic era. Many of these precious artifacts are being exhibited for the first time. 

The Chinese theatrical play Sunrise by renowned writer Cao Yu and produced by Magnificent Culture is being staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) from Tuesday to Thursday. Tickets were close to being sold out on Wednesday. 

Photo: Courtesy of National Centre for the Performing Arts

"Watching Sunrise during the New Year is especially meaningful," said an audience member surnamed Wang after Tuesday night's premiere. 

"I didn't expect that the familiar Sunrise could have such a mixed performance of sadness and joy on stage. Such a brand-new look is really surprising!" he added. 

In Shanghai, the romantic Opera Gala Concert is part of the Shanghai Grand Theatre's concert series welcoming the New Year. Under the baton of Xu Zhong, the director of the Shanghai Opera House, the opera house and Shanghai Grand Theater invited 16 principal performers from the Philharmonie de Paris to perform with the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, Symphony Orchestra and Dance Troupe.

In Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the China (Sichuan) Second National Music Week came to an end with a 5-hour-long livecast to numerous music lovers at 12:30 am Wednesday morning. 

Photo: Courtesy of China (Sichuan) Second National Music Week

On the last day of 2024, the Chinese box office revenue reached 383 million yuan ($52.5 million) as 9.3 million moviegoers celebrated the New Year at cinemas, according to data from Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan. 

The box office for Wednesday, the first day of 2025, exceeded 300 million yuan, with Chinese domestic movies Octopus with Broken Arms, Big World and Honey Money Phony taking the top three spots on the best earners list.