"The smallest backpacker in China" walked on Lop Nur for 6 days and cried and returned with his companions.

"The smallest backpacker" treks in the desert.

"The smallest backpacker" treks in the desert.

On December 7th, Wenwen and her party were in a hostel on Xiaotianzhu Scenic Resort Street. Liu Chenping

On December 7th, Wenwen and her party were in a hostel on Xiaotianzhu Scenic Resort Street. Liu Chenping

  Don’t go to kindergarten, walk with parents since childhood, and spend more than half of the year on the road … … In 2016, a photo of a little girl begging for a ride on the roadside caught fire in Weibo. The little girl in the photo was only 4 years old at that time, but she had been in prison for nearly 3 years, so netizens called her "the smallest backpacker in China".

  In the past year, Wenwen has not stopped hiking. Together with her parents, she challenged the Sichuan-Tibet Line, experienced paragliding in Nepal and crossed the virgin forest … … Just last month, 5-year-old Wen Wen, her father, mother, brother and new partner Lin Lin challenged the "sea of death" Lop Nur. On December 7th, the family who had returned to Chengdu was interviewed by a reporter. "Tiger Dad" Pan Tufeng told the reporter that the trip to the desert was only six days, which was "a failed challenge", but it also gained a lot.

  Along the way, the debate about Wenwen’s parents’ "tiger education" has never stopped. Although questioned, my father Pan Tufeng’s decision not to let her (Wenwen) go to kindergarten has not wavered. In September next year, Wenwen will reach the age of going to school. Pan Tufeng admits that he will try to choose the holiday time for hiking in the future.

  New members join

  Take a leave of absence for two months, and the peers will retreat halfway.

  On December 3rd, Wenwen and his party arrived in Chengdu, which was the last stop of their trip. "I will return to Shangrao in a few days, and my child’s leave will expire soon." On the 7th, in a youth hostel near Huaxi Dam, Chengdu, I watched three children playing around, Pan Tufeng said.

  Among the three children, in addition to the daughter Wenwen and the eldest son Bai Ru, a new member — — Bai Ru’s friend, 11-year-old Lin Lin.

  During the summer vacation this year, Bai Ru, who was on holiday at home, became a "king of the children", camping and having a picnic with children older than herself, and Lin Lin was one of them. "He (Lin Lin) may be infected and wants to join our hike. His parents are also very supportive, so they are together." Speaking of new members, Pan Tufeng’s tone is hard to hide his confidence.

  I went to the plateau and went to the seaside. This time, Pan Tufeng set a new challenge for the children — — "Sea of Death" Lop Nur. I asked the school for two months’ leave. In October, a group of five people started a challenge trip on the Yunnan-Tibet line.

  Get up at 6: 30 every day and walk more than 20 kilometers … … When she came to a place called Foshan Town, Lin Lin backed out. On that day, few vehicles passed by on the road. Until 11 pm, the group still didn’t get on the bus. Walking on the road in the middle of nowhere, Lin Lin cried to go home. "What I didn’t expect was that Wen Wen and Bai Ru took the initiative to comfort and encourage their brother." Pan Tufeng said.

  After an episode, five people continued on the road, and Lin Lin gradually integrated into it. "At first, I called his parents every day. Later, I only called once a week, which made me more independent."

  No man’s land on foot

  After walking for three days, I returned, and the children came out of the desert crying.

  At the end of October, a group of people arrived in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang. From here, journey to the south is Lop Nur. Pan Tufeng originally planned to cross by off-road vehicle. However, under the persuasion of relatives and friends, and considering that the child is too young, Pan Tufeng and his wife Yuan Duan decided to "have a taste": "Just find a local as a guide and feel it on foot."

  Before leaving, Pan Tufeng made a goal: to stay in the desert for ten days. According to this plan, enough water and food are prepared. "If you follow the plan every day, it should be enough."

  Compared with adults, children are much simpler: how happy they are to have countless sands to play in the desert. Arriving at Washixia Town, Wenwen couldn’t wait to drill into the desert.

  Pan Tufeng doesn’t think this is for children to play — — Every child has to carry his own clothes and food. Lin Lin and Bai Ru are older and boys, each of them has to carry two barrels of 1.5 liters of water, and Wen Wen, who is only five years old, has to carry two bottles of 500 ml of water.

  On November 2 nd, the trip to the desert no man’s land was set off. Just seeing the sand, the three children were very excited, building bases and building castles and having fun. However, from the third day, the novelty was wiped out by the same scenery in front of her eyes, and with the fatigue caused by walking for more than ten kilometers every day, Lin Lin took the lead in getting emotional. See elder brother don’t go, wenwen, Bai Ru also began to cry.

  Do what you can. Pan Tufeng and Yuan Duan are not going to force the children to go on, but even if they want to go home, they have to walk back by themselves. It is their consistent attitude not to help. Tired of walking, sit down and rest, rest well, pack your back and continue walking. On the sixth day, the children walked out of the desert by themselves.

  A child’s harvest

  Unsuccessful challenges make children know how to cherish water.

  There is another important reason why I chose to end my trip early: there is not enough water.

  "The first time I went to the desert, I was inexperienced. At first, I thought the bag was delicious, so I ate more and drank more water." Pan Tufeng said that children also don’t know how to drink water in a planned way. "By the next day, they had already finished drinking the water on their backs."

  Originally planned to drink enough water for 10 days, only half of it was left after 4 days, so I had to turn back ahead of time. "This is an unsuccessful challenge, but the gains are still great." Pan Tufeng said.

  Lin Lin’s parents felt the change of their children. "Because he was favored at home since he was a child, he (Lin Lin) is lazy and doesn’t know how to suffer. After coming out of the desert, he suddenly became more sensible and told us to save water and food. " Lin Lin’s mother, Zheng Xiaohong, said.

  Six days in the desert, hardships are everywhere. There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening in desert areas, and the temperature is only about 2℃ at night. In tents, children wrap their clothes and shrink into sleeping bags to keep warm. In Pan Tufeng’s view, this is to exercise children’s will, but also to teach them to learn to cherish.

  Walking in the unchanging desert, even if there are local people as guides, it is inevitable that they will feel desperate because they can’t see the edge. "This is also a rare experience for them. After personal experience, they can feel the meaning of persistence."

  New plan

  Challenge the Qinghai-Tibet line before entering primary school next year.

  In mid-December, Bai Ru and Lin Lin’s holiday is over, and they will return to class. After missing two months of courses, can you still keep up? Pan Tufeng is very optimistic: "On the way out, we all brought textbooks. If there is something we don’t understand, Bai Ru also asked the teacher through WeChat."

  In September this year, Bai Ru was promoted to the third grade. In the first month’s assessment, he ranked more than 50 in the class of more than 60 people. Pan Tufeng didn’t care much about this. He said: "What they learned at school is only a part. I believe that they have learned more during their travels, which is also helpful for their future study."

  Next September, Wenwen should also go to primary school. Is it to let the children go on like this, or to return to campus? Pan Tufeng said frankly: "After Wenwen goes to school, she may take advantage of her two children to have a holiday and then go out on foot."

  However, in the remaining months, Pan Tufeng has drawn up a new plan for Wenwen: to challenge the Qinghai-Tibet Line. "We have all challenged the Sichuan-Tibet line, the Yunnan-Tibet line and the New Tibet line. Only the Qinghai-Tibet line is left in the four national roads into Tibet, and I hope it can be completed before she enters school."

  Huaxi Dushi Bao-cover journalist Wu Bingqing

  Trainee reporter Tian Zhilu Photography Liu Chenping

Financial chess is alive and well (classic China, 60 years of glory)

Topic: 60 years of classic China glory



The overall strength of the banking industry continued to increase.


  Cartographic song song


  Six years, just six years, the world has seen China’s financial industry in a completely different way.


  Six years ago, in 2003, foreign power decided: "China’s banking industry is technically bankrupt and is a time bomb."


  Today, six years later, foreign news lamented: "ICBC, CCB and BOC in China have become the three banks with the largest market capitalization in the world, and new leaders have emerged. China is not only a’ world factory’, but also a’ world bank’."


  Different evaluations reflect the rapid development of China’s financial industry from one aspect.


  "Finance is very important and is the core of the modern economy. Finance is well done, and everything is alive when you play chess. " Comrade Deng Xiaoping’s words brilliantly clarified the position of finance. Over the past 60 years, China’s financial industry has opened a new era in the cheers of the founding of New China, and achieved a historic leap in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, which is strongly supporting economic and social development and effectively meeting the financial needs of the people …


  expand from a small to a large force


  Form a complete financial system


  Have an impressive world ranking


  Zhao Haikuan, former director of the Financial Research Institute of the People’s Bank of China, visited Swiss banks in the 1970s. "They used machines and floppy disks to record data, while we used abacus and dip pen to keep accounts. The gap between floppy disk and abacus is too big. "Speaking of this, he changed his subject." However, now our bank’s equipment has reached the international first-class level! "  


  Zhao Haikuan is changing from a technical point of view. In fact, from the perspective of organizational system, China’s financial industry has undergone greater changes.


  A multi-level financial institution system has gradually taken shape.


  Before the reform and opening up, there was only one bank in China-China People’s Bank, which was both a central bank and a commercial bank. On September 17th, 1983, the State Council decided that the People’s Bank of China should exercise the functions of the central bank exclusively. Since 1979, China Agricultural Bank, China Bank, China People’s Construction Bank (renamed as China Construction Bank in 1996) and China Industrial and Commercial Bank have successively started business. In 1987, a number of new joint-stock banks such as Bank of Communications were established. In 1994, three policy banks were established to undertake the original policy business of four professional banks. By the end of June this year, China had more than 5,600 legal persons of various banking financial institutions.


  The insurance industry has also moved from "one flower alone" to "full of spring scenery". At the beginning of reform and opening up, there was only one insurance company in China-China People’s Insurance Company. In the past 30 years, insurance institutions have grown from one to more than 120; The annual premium income jumped from less than 500 million yuan to 978.41 billion yuan in 2008. Yang Chao, president of China Life Insurance (Group) Company, still remembers that in order to adapt to the rapidly expanding business, in 1985, under the background of lack of professional talents, PICC China started the first training course. "They are all demobilized cadres in their forties, squatting on the curb at night and reciting insurance clauses."


  The all-round financial market system has been accelerated.


  The emergence of the capital market is a major breakthrough in the development of China’s financial market. On November 18th, 1984, Feile Audio became the first public offering stock. Qin Qibin, then the director of Shanghai Electroacoustics General Factory, recalled that at that time, with the improvement of people’s living standards, there was a great demand for audio equipment. He is thinking about raising money to expand audio production by issuing shares. "In September 1986, two stocks, Feile and Yanzhong, were traded on the counter in the Shanghai Jing ‘an Trust Business Department of ICBC. The place is very small and there are many people. I am very excited and think that someone really buys and sells our stocks! " Since then, the development of direct financing in China has been persistent and firm, and the capital market has become one of the landmark achievements in the process of China’s economic transformation from a planned system to a socialist market economic system.


  In addition to the capital market, financial markets such as interbank lending market, insurance market, foreign exchange market and gold market are also developing continuously.


  The professional financial supervision system has been continuously improved.


  Before 1984, there was no financial supervision in the modern sense in China. Since 1984, the People’s Bank of China has been specializing in the functions of the central bank. Liu Hongru, former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, former deputy director of the State Commission for Economic Restructuring and the first chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, recalled: "At that time, it was supposed to be called the Central Bank of People’s Republic of China (PRC), leaving the name of the People’s Bank to separate professional banks. Later, the party group of the People’s Bank of China discussed that, firstly, the RMB issued by the People’s Bank of China has been in circulation for many years, and it is difficult to change the banknotes. Secondly, the People’s Bank of China was established in 1948 and has been the only national bank for decades. If it suddenly becomes a professional bank, it will not be easily understood and accepted by people. Therefore, it was finally decided that the central bank should also be called the People’s Bank of China. "


  Since then, the financial supervision system has been continuously deepened. In November, 1997, the securities institutions originally supervised by the People’s Bank of China were placed under the unified supervision of China Securities Regulatory Commission. In November 1998, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission was established. In 2003, the supervision function of banking financial institutions was separated from the People’s Bank of China, and the China Banking Regulatory Commission was established. So far, a financial management system of "one line, three meetings" has been formed.


  After 60 years of grinding a sword, today’s China financial industry has a proud "world ranking": the total profit, profit growth and return on capital of the banking industry rank first in the world; The total market value of Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets ranks third in the world; Premium income ranks sixth in the world.


  "China’s financial industry plays an important role in the world. We hold more than $2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and are the largest creditor of the United States. Any major financial problems in the world today, without the participation and cooperation of China, I am afraid it will be difficult to be properly resolved. " Zhou Zhengqing, former member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, vice chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee and former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said.


  Great changes come from the reform and opening up of the financial industry. In January, 2004, the State Council announced the decision of Bank of China and China Construction Bank to implement the pilot joint-stock reform, and the joint-stock reform of state-owned banks officially entered the implementation stage. Zhou Zhengqing recalled that in 2002, the non-performing loan ratio of four state-owned banks reached 25.12%, far higher than the international risk level of 5%; The average capital adequacy ratio is only 4.25%, which cannot meet the international regulatory requirements of 8%. Now, the non-performing loan ratio of major banks has dropped to 6.01%, and the weighted average capital adequacy ratio of commercial banks is as high as 12%. These indicators are among the best in the world.


  From light to heavy


  From Treasury to Economic Core


  Support development and regulate economy.


  "In the early 1980 s, most of the banks were on the high side, and enterprises had to take the initiative to find everything. As soon as you look at the counter, you will know that it is much higher than half a person, like a pawnshop, "said Lu Keping, chairman of Jiangsu Sunshine Group." Now, the height of the counter has come down and the service level has gone up. Banks often go to the door to conduct business, and the support for enterprises and the economy is too great! "


  Zhao Haikuan said that in the 30 years before the reform and opening up, the role of the financial industry in China’s economy was mainly manifested in two aspects: First, an independent, independent and unified RMB standard system was established, ending the chaotic history of China’s monetary system in the past 100 years; First, raise social idle funds to support socialist economic construction.


  "However, under the condition of planned economy, the bank is just an accountant, cashier and vault, and has not really played the role of a bank. Finance really plays the core role of modern economy in the 30 years after the reform and opening up. " Liu Hongru said frankly.


  The "core" role of finance is first manifested in supporting the economy. Banking "blood transfusion" economy. From 2003 to 2008, the balance of bank loans increased by 16.5% annually. In the first half of this year, the bank’s new loans reached 7.37 trillion yuan, which played a vital role in promoting economic stabilization and recovery.


  The securities industry boosts the economy. "As long as the organization is properly used, the capital market can play many positive roles in promoting economic development," Zhou Zhengqing said. For example, it is conducive to continuously and stably raising long-term funds. By the end of July this year, the domestic capital market had raised 2.5 trillion yuan for corporate stocks and 2.9 trillion yuan for bonds. Another example is that it is conducive to the concentration of social resources to high-quality enterprises. From 2003 to 2007, the control rights of nearly 600 listed companies changed.


  The insurance industry stabilizes the economy. In the past five years, the average annual compensation for natural disasters in the insurance industry has reached 72.5 billion yuan, about 10 times that of government compensation and other forms of compensation.


  The "core" role of finance is also manifested in regulating the economy.


  After 1984, the People’s Bank of China actively carried out financial macro-control, which effectively curbed inflation in 1984, 1988 and 1992-1993. In 1998, the People’s Bank of China began to use a combination of monetary policy tools consisting of open market operations, deposit reserve ratio, rediscount, refinancing and interest rates.


  Since then, the words "raising interest rates" and "raising the deposit reserve ratio" have gradually become familiar to the public, and financial regulation has frequently appeared on the economic stage: in response to the Asian financial crisis, the People’s Bank of China has implemented a prudent monetary policy and appropriately increased the money supply; Since 2003, the People’s Bank of China has raised the deposit reserve ratio 15 times, the benchmark interest rate for deposits 8 times and the benchmark interest rate for loans 9 times, thus preventing a new round of inflation and economic ups and downs. In the face of the once-in-a-century international financial crisis, in accordance with the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the People’s Bank of China implemented a moderately loose monetary policy, comprehensively implemented and enriched the package plan and related policies and measures to stimulate the economy, and promoted economic stabilization and recovery …


  From far to near


  More and better financial services.


  Fly into the families of ordinary people


  When Aunt Yuan, 58, joined the work 37 years ago, there were few bank outlets. "It takes half an hour to go there, and there is a long queue to get there. It takes a long time to save a few dollars." Aunt Yuan said that it is much more convenient now. There are four outlets such as ICBC and China Merchants Bank in her community alone, as well as a 24-hour self-service terminal. The deposit and withdrawal can be done in one minute. "I also opened online banking, so I can pay, transfer and pay without leaving home!"   


  Over the past 60 years, especially since the reform and opening up, China’s financial industry has "flown into the homes of ordinary people" and has become more and more closely connected with the people.


  The banking service is even better. Bank outlets are scattered all over urban and rural areas, and there are more than 80,000 outlets in only four state-owned banks. "In the past, going to the bank was to deposit and withdraw money. Now, utilities, telephone bills and gas bills can be paid at the bank, and you can also buy various wealth management products there." Aunt Yuan said.


  There are more securities services. In August 1992, about 1.5 million people flocked to Shenzhen from all over the country to snap up the application form for subscription of new shares to be issued soon. There were not enough porridge, and finally I had to issue an application form for subscription, which calmed the once out-of-control situation. This is the famous "8.10" incident in Shenzhen.


  Nowadays, no matter stocks or funds, it has become a common way for people to invest and manage money. By the end of July this year, stock investors had opened nearly 133 million accounts and fund investment accounts had exceeded 178 million.


  Insurance services are more familiar. When the domestic insurance business was resumed in 1980, there were only a few types of insurance, and most people were unfamiliar with insurance. Today, more than 1,000 kinds of insurance products protect people’s lives from the wind and rain, covering thousands of households with risk protection.

Editor: Xu Guimei

Beijing art center plays a new year concert to send blessings! The New Year holiday is expected to receive 12,000 spectators.

Wu Yuxia plucked the strings, and the pipa and the orchestra interwoven into the elegant and tactful "Moonlit Night on a Spring River"; Lv Siqing waved his bow, and the orchestra set off the violin, playing the broad and turbulent feelings in Zhao Jiping’s "Violin Concerto No.1" … On the afternoon of December 31, in the concert hall of Beijing Art Center, flowers surrounded the Chinese characters of "2024 New Year Concert", which reflected each other with the lingering music. Xu Zhijun, a well-known conductor, performed the National Orchestra of China Conservatory of Music, and sent a greeting to the last day of 2023 with China’s well-known works such as Festival Overture and Yao Dance Music.

Although the New Year Concert is an imported form of performance, from this performance, the audience Ms. Qin felt a deep feeling of China: Zhao Jiping’s "Violin Concerto No.1" played by Lv Siqing was interpreted in the form of western orchestral music, but it had a different feeling after being transplanted to national musical instruments; The musicians on the stage are dressed in ink and wash clothes, which are elegant and pleasant. What makes her even more happy is that Wu Yuxia, Lv Siqing and other famous artists performed on stage only 20 minutes by car from home. "The performances that used to be only seen in the National Grand Theatre or the Beijing Concert Hall can now be seen at home."

According to statistics, from the official opening on December 27th to 17: 00pm on December 31st, Beijing Art Center has received a total of 13,750 visitors and spectators, and the ticket sales rate of the drama "Sherlock Holmes" being performed is 99%, and the ticket sales rate of the New Year concerts on December 31st and January 1st, 2024 is over 90%. Throughout the New Year holiday, Beijing Art Center is expected to receive 12,000 visitors.

The radiation attraction and cultural cluster effect of three major cultural buildings, Beijing Art Center and City Sub-center, are emerging. Take Ms. Qin’s tour route as an example. In the morning, she took her children to visit the Beijing City Library and the Beijing Grand Canal Museum. The 9-year-old children especially liked the "Book Mountain" in the library. After finding a poetry book, she sat down and watched it quietly for two hours. In the afternoon, the mother and daughter walked into the Beijing Art Center hand in hand. "There are books and music. I believe this must be a meaningful holiday for the children."

Next, the powerful lineup of conductor Shui Lan, the British Philharmonic Orchestra and Beijing Peking Opera Theatre will be staged at the Beijing Art Center one after another. In addition, the lively canal market in public areas, diverse chamber music ensembles and the "Yi Yun Hua Zhang" National Grand Theatre Tibetan Sculpture Exhibition, which brought together more than 50 sculptures from three generations of Chinese sculptors, will continue to create a full-space, all-weather artistic experience.

Reporting/feedback

The Origin of New Year’s Day

  The adoption of the Gregorian calendar by our government began in the Republic of China. Therefore, in China, the history of New Year’s Day is less than a hundred years.

  On January 1, 1912, Sun Yat-sen was sworn in as the provisional president in Nanjing, announcing the establishment of the provisional government of the Republic of China. At the same time, the "Declaration of the Provisional President" was issued, and the time at the end of the declaration was "New Year’s Day of the first year of the Republic of China". This is the first time that the Gregorian calendar has been used in the official proclamation, and it is also the first time that the word "New Year’s Day" with modern significance has been used. Subsequently, Sun Yat-sen ordered that in order to "do summer, it is suitable for farming; From the western calendar, so statistics ",switch to the solar calendar. On January 2, Sun Yat-sen electrified the provinces to change their calendars, and took January 1, 1912 as the beginning of the founding of the Republic of China.

  From then on, China began to adopt the western calendar, taking January 1 of the Gregorian calendar as the New Year’s Day. Throughout the Republic of China, in fact, in the daily life of our people, the traditional lunar calendar was still used, but the first day of the first lunar month was generally called the Spring Festival. Since then, New Year’s Day and Spring Festival have been divided into two festivals, but New Year’s Day is still often used as a synonym for Spring Festival. For example, in January 1930, when Mao Zedong commanded the Red Army to fight in Jiangxi, he wrote a poem "Dream of New Year’s Day" with the words: "Ninghua, Cleanliness, Naturalization, and the roads are deep and slippery. Where to go today, pointing to Wuyi Mountain. Under the mountain, the red flag is picturesque. " New Year’s Day here means the same as Spring Festival.

  At the beginning of the Gregorian calendar in China, Lu Xun wrote an article "Habits and Reform", in which he said: "Even the unemployed people in Shanghai and employees of the company lamented, or it was very inconvenient for farmers to cultivate, or it was very inconvenient for seagoing ships to wait for the tide. Therefore, we actually think of farmers in the countryside and boats at sea who have been irrelevant for a long time. This is really like fraternity. "

  On September 27, 1949, the first plenary session of the China People’s Political Consultative Conference resolved: "The chronology of People’s Republic of China (PRC) adopts the AD chronology method." As a result, the Chinese government has adopted a more thorough method of AD chronology, and all government announcements, statistical reports, newspaper mastheads, etc. adopt the Gregorian calendar. The traditional lunar calendar in China has completely disappeared from official documents except that it is marked behind the Gregorian calendar in the headlines of important newspapers. The New Year’s Day holiday was also stipulated as one of the four legal holidays in China in the "National Holidays and Remembrance Days" adopted at the meeting of the Special Council (now the State Council) on December 23rd, 1949. Today, the calendar year and New Year’s Day festivals have gradually become universal, popular and stable among Chinese people. New Year’s Day and Spring Festival are no longer mixed in appellation. For example, in 1952, President Mao Zedong’s Speech at the New Year’s Day Group Meeting, New Year’s Day here refers to the Gregorian New Year’s Day.

  New Year’s Day is an international festival, and different nationalities have different stories about the origin of New Year’s Day. It was the ancient Egyptians who first named New Year’s Day. Because of the need to calculate the Nile flood cycle, astronomy and solar calendar in ancient Egypt came into being. 7000 years ago, after long-term observation, the ancient Egyptians found that whenever Sirius rose with the sun, the Nile rose immediately, and it was always about 365 days before the next time. So ancient Egypt took the day when the Nile rose as the beginning of the new year, which was called the "Rising Water New Year". This is about the earliest origin of New Year’s Day.

  Today’s Gregorian calendar, named after its universal use in all countries in the world, is a kind of solar calendar that people are most familiar with, also known as western calendar, solar calendar and Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar adopts the chronological method, which is calculated from the year when Jesus was born, which is closely related to the prosperity of Christianity. This calendar is saturated with the civilization created by human beings for thousands of years. After learning the essence of the Egyptian calendar, the ancient Romans formulated a more accurate julian calendar during the reign of Julius Caesar. With the expansion of Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity, julian calendar spread all over the world. On March 1st, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar and decided to adopt the plan of Italian doctor Lirio. In 400 years, the three extra leap years in julian calendar were eliminated, with an average annual length of 5: 49: 12 on 365 days, 26 seconds longer than the return. Although according to this calculation, there will still be an error of one day after about 3000 years, but this accuracy is quite remarkable. This is the origin of the Gregorian calendar we use today, also known as the Gregorian calendar.

  Due to the influence of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, British, German, American and other Christian countries in the last 500 years, and because of the relative accuracy of the Gregorian calendar, the calendar method of the year of the AD has been adopted by countries all over the world. As a holiday, New Year’s Day is not comparable to Christmas in the west and Spring Festival in China, but it has become a worldwide holiday because of its secularity and non-religion.

  Due to the different longitude positions of countries in the world, the time of celebrating New Year’s Day is different in different countries, so the date of New Year’s Day is different. For example, Tonga, an island country in Oceania, is located on the west side of the date line. It is the first place in the world to start a new day, so it is also the first country in the world to celebrate New Year’s Day. Western Samoa, located on the east side of the Japanese date line, is the place where a new day begins at the latest in the world, so it is also the country that celebrates New Year’s Day at the latest in the world. According to the Gregorian calendar, China is the 12th country in the world to start the New Year.

  At the same time, based on the differences between the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere, New Year’s Day in countries in the northern hemisphere happens to be winter, or the wind is cold, or the snow is fluttering, or the winter sun shines brightly … while countries in the southern hemisphere welcome the New Year in summer, and their feelings of celebrating the holidays are very different.

  
In addition to the above reasons, due to the different cultural traditions of various ethnic groups, the date of New Year’s Day in some countries is not January 1 of the Gregorian calendar. For example, Iran implements the Islamic calendar, and celebrating the New Year means celebrating the arrival of spring. Its season and month are not fixed, usually in the late March of the Gregorian calendar. India starts from October 31st every year as the New Year, which lasts for five days, and the fourth day is New Year’s Day. The traditional Thai New Year’s Songkran Festival (Songkran is a Sanskrit transliteration), also known as the Songkran Festival, is from April 13th to 16th every year in the Gregorian calendar.