一年到头 yi1nian2dao4tou2 (The End of the Year)

Just watched the Chinese feature film appropriately named 一年到头 yīniándàotóu (The End of the Year) on TV.  This is what you do if you are too old to go out and get drunk. :-)

Recommend the film. It canvasses the intersecting lives of a few families in the lead up to Spring Festival and has some good shots of the mayhem involved in buying tickets and negotiating train stations at this time of year.  Gives an indication of how important Spring Festival is in people's lives - features migrant workers, 'humble' public servants and a high flyer (heart surgeon) failing the moral hazard test at his work. Also the crazy mother doing everything to get her son into a good high school - I would have liked her to die an unpleasant death but unfortunately the script writers don't have my black sense of humour.      

Interestingly for those that want to know what festivals are recognised in China, a big red banner sign appeared today in the community that I live in saying 新年快乐。 No, it isn't just for us.