February 26 marks the first day of UCASers’ spring semester in 2024. After a brief break for the Spring Festival, ICTP-APers have gone back to school for a new semester. During the winter vocation, teachers and students have captured the beautiful scenery with their lenses and now let's take a look at their spectacular shootings. 

From this photo, we can see that the tree is decorated with many red lanterns because it is a custom for Chinese to adorn their doors with red couplets and colorful lantersn to enrich the festival asmosphere. 

This group of photo displays the beautiful scenery after snow.

These two photos were taken in Macau and HK respectively, the first one is the fireworks set to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the second one is the Ferris Wheel featured by four Chinese characters “Long Lai Yun Zhuan”, which means that luck comes to you as the Year of the Dragon approaches.

This photo is taken at the front gate of the Old Summer Palace, which is also known as “Yuanmingyuan”

This photo is taken in Guangzhou.

The Spring Festival is one of the most significant traditional celebrations in Chinese culture, marking a momentous occasion for family gatherings and shared joy. The year of 2024 is also the Year of the Dragon or Loong, therefore, the dragon rightfully takes center stage. Now, let us warmly welcome the auspicious dragon and together create a symphony of happiness for the new year.

Home is where the heart is. In the 2024 Spring Festival, ICTP-APers scattered across the country, yet their hearts and hands are still connected. This traditional holiday of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new has become a collective journey that fosters a sense of belonging, fulfillment, and happiness among the ICTP-AP community. Amidst the warmth and nostalgia, it adds new meaning and responsibility to the Dragon Year's new spring, making everyone’s heart warmer, bringing students and faculty closer, and strengthening their love for UCAS.

Editor: Le Zhang, Min Zhang

Photographers: Fanzi Meng, Le Zhang, Min Zhang, Qimin Song