Foshan's Fai Chun Street "paints" the colour of Chinese New Year

Editor︰Ryu

As everyone is preparing for the Chinese New Year, there is a tradition of putting up Fai Chun (揮春) and hanging lanterns at home. Did you know that in Foshan, there is a street full of distinctive Fai Chun?

Every year as the Chinese New Year approaches, this 300-meter-long old street in Foshan showcases such a scene — narrow streets and alleys, mottled arcade buildings, all pasted with red Fai Chun from the beginning to the end of the street.

This old street in Foshan is known as Kuaizi Road.

The past and present of Foshan's Kuaizi Road

Kuaizi Road (快子路), located in the old city centre of Foshan's Chancheng District, was established in 1934. It is a historic old street, lined with ancient arcade buildings and Qing Dynasty residences on both sides.

Together, they create a unique architectural landscape that combines Chinese and Western elements, reflecting the historical significance of Kuaizi Road.

Kuaizi Road is a historic old street, lined with ancient arcade buildings and Qing Dynasty residences on both sides.
Kuaizi Road is a historic old street, lined with ancient arcade buildings and Qing Dynasty residences on both sides. (Image Source: VCG)

Before it transformed into the famous Fai Chun Street, Kuaizi Road was initially known for its handmade iron pots, copperware, and chopsticks.

Later, in the mid-1980s, it gradually became a commercial street for selling electrical parts, becoming one of the most bustling business areas in Foshan.

With urban development, many shops and residents have relocated, and the former glory of the old district has faded.

However, the "red of Chinese New Year" quietly revives the old street, bringing vitality.

Since 2014, Kuaizi Road has transformed from an electrical appliances street into a Fai Chun street.
Since 2014, Kuaizi Road has transformed from an electrical appliances street into a Fai Chun street. (Image Source: ea1am@Instagram)

Read more: Mascots of the Year of the Snake unveiled all over China!

Every year, about two weeks before the Chinese New Year, various spring couplets fill Kuaizi Road. Old masters under the arcades hold brushes and write impromptu, filling the air with the festive atmosphere of the New Year, making it a beautiful scene in Foshan.

In recent years, many TV stations have come to interview, and Kuaizi Road quickly became famous online, attracting tourists and photography enthusiasts from all over the world to witness the charm of this old street.

Fai Chun is also known as spring couplet, door couplet in other parts of China. As Chinese New Year approaches, many customers come to Kuaizi Road to pick Fai Chun and take photos.
Fai Chun is also known as spring couplet, door couplet in other parts of China. As Chinese New Year approaches, many customers come to Kuaizi Road to pick Fai Chun and take photos. (Image Source: VCG)

Read more: What kind of Chinese New Year food is available in Guangdong?

Handwritten Fai Chun adorn the old street 

Many of the old masters writing spring couplets on Kuaizi Road are actually retired. They gather because of their love for writing spring couplets. Whether it's running script, cursive script, or regular script, they handle them all with ease.

With a sheet of red paper and a swipe of ink, couplets and spring couplets are created in the blink of an eye.

Under the old arcade buildings, handwritten spring couplets are pasted everywhere, stretching from one end of the street to the other. The festive red spreads out, making people instantly feel as though they have traveled back to the old Guangdong during the festival, full of sentiment.

With the Spring Festival approaching, Kuaizi Road is filled with Fai Chun of various sizes, attracting many tourists and photography enthusiasts to visit, adding new festive joy to the old street.
With the Spring Festival approaching, Kuaizi Road is filled with Fai Chun of various sizes, attracting many tourists and photography enthusiasts to visit, adding new festive joy to the old street. (Image Source: VCG)

As Kuaizi Road gains more fame, more foreign tourists come to visit. The old masters keep up with the times and come up with new ideas.

They write English New Year greetings on traditional Fai Chun, combining Chinese and Western elements, which will surely amaze everyone!

Fai Chun on car bodies become the most unique scenery on Kuaizi Road

Speaking of new trends on Kuaizi Road, there has been a craze for writing Fai Chun on cars in these recent years.

Car owners from different regions drive their beloved cars to Kuaizi Road, hoping to get Fai Chun written by masters on their car bodies for good fortune.

Most car owners are from Guangdong, so the auspicious phrases written on car bodies are filled with local Cantonese style. They use creative compound characters, such as "everything goes well", "better than sugarcane", "wealth and treasure", which are familiar New Year greetings to Hong Kong residents.

On Kuaizi Road, the most distinctive feature is the combination characters Fai Chun. Do you know the meaning of the combination characters on the picture?
In this picture, do you know the meaning of the combination characters of the Fai Chun on the car?

In an era when handwriting gradually being replaced by printing, there are still groups of people insisting on handwriting traditional spring couplets on Kuaizi Road in Foshan.

Not only do the old neighbourhood residents frequent the old street, but more young people also come to relive the traditional New Year atmosphere.

The old street with a new look continues to inherit the cultural sentiments of China.

Read more: Ham, dried persimmons, salted egg yolks: A glimpse into festive flavors

Mascots of the Year of the Snake 2025 in China

Year of the Snake mascots unveiled all over China!

Winter Travel Hangzhou West Lake Three Wonders

3 ancient Chinese love stories of Hangzhou's snowy West Lake

Hangzhou Jingshan Temple

China's Jingshan Temple: An "enlightener" of Japanese tea ceremony?

Xi'an's Millennium-old Ginkgo Tree

Mystery of the "ageless" ginkgo tree in China's Xi'an

WeChat