It’s Time for a Chunjie Series…

At a temple in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, people lift incense above their head as they try to engender good fortune for the coming year.

In case you missed it, last week was Chunjie/Spring Festival (or Lunar New Year) and much of China headed home only to return to work Sunday (or Monday if your boss was lenient.) Here are some shots from around China that depict the week-long festival in all its glory…

An aerial shot of Beijing at night shows just how empty the capital can be over the break…

While in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, a man flings molten metal against a stretch of city wall, creating sparks akin to fireworks…

In Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the crowds at the Nanjing Confucius Temple show just how popular the holiday has become for travel instead of heading home…

Plus more incense at Guiyuan Temple in Wuhan, Hubei Province, as people look for greater wealth in Year of the Monkey…

And in Shenyang, liaoning Province, exploded red paper tells of the fireworks detonated to ward off evil spirits in the coming year.