A: Hello and welcome to 
Listeners Garden here on China Radio International. I'm your host LPC.
B: And I'm AE. Having said goodbye to Christmas and the New Year, people in other parts of the world are changing from their holiday mode back to work mode.
A: But here in China the festive atmosphere still lingers. As you know, the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is just two weeks away.
B: So people here in China are preparing to usher in another joyful occasion, but it seems to me the Spring Festival will arrive earlier than usual this year.
A: You're right. The Chinese Lunar New Year usually falls in February. But this year it will start on January 26th.
B: Then we'll again enjoy another wonderful holiday.
A: Yes, a week-long holiday, very exciting!
B: I know the Lunar New Year is the most important festival in China. Its significance to the Chinese people resembles what Christmas means to westerners.
A: Yes. People often start making preparations for the festival as soon as they bid farewell to the solar New Year celebrations.
B: No wonder every street corner continues to permeate with a joyous mood and a shopping fervour. Stores and supermarkets are trying to entice more customers with big discounts.
A: Shopping is always an important part of the preparations for the Spring Festival. And in sharp contrast to the old days, people today are spoiled for choice with a great variety of commodities available in the market.
B: That's true. When I go shopping in a big supermarket, I'm always overwhelmed by the tremendous diversity of goods to choose from.
A: But do you know what shopping was like in China before? In this edition of the show, we'll be talking about the changes to the way people in China go shopping.
B: But before that, it's time to check our letterbox. Please stay tuned.
A: Welcome to Letterbox. The first letter comes from Robert Baruffi from the U.S.
"I just restarted listening to CRI after 35 years, and it's been a few weeks now since I began listening again. I am pleasantly surprised that your broadcasts appear politically neutral when it comes to reporting the news. It really came as a surprise to me just how much CRI has changed over the past 35 years."
B: Hello Robert, welcome back to CRI. We could say you are both an old friend and a new listener of CRI.
A: Yes, we're so glad you have decided to rejoin our CRI family after an absence of 35 years. We hope you continue listening and sharing your views with us.
B: Next, Nick Aloe from Canada writes in to say:
"I enjoy listening to CRI because I am very interested in learning about other cultures, and I especially like to hear the up-to-date news and current affairs programs concerning China. Only CRI provides this kind of programming which is so important in our multi-cultural society in Canada."
A: Thank you Nick for your interest in China and in our broadcasts. Please stay tuned and continue to keep in touch.
B: The next letter comes from our Indian friend T. Elampooranan.
"As a monitor I enjoy listening to your English programs very much. Apart from excellent content and presentation styles, your broadcasts are mostly heard with good reception! Your news programs are always up to date and unbiased. I also like China Drive. It is quite interesting; with a good tempo and the hosts present the show wonderfully. I hope my reception reports are of some use to plan your transmissions, and I am grateful to you for the QSL cards, colourful magazines and gifts! I will continue to monitor CRI programs in the New Year."
A: Hi Elampooranan, thank you very much for taking the time to send us reception reports almost every week over the years. Your monitoring work is, of course, very helpful to us.
B: Yes. We would really appreciate it if you could continue monitoring our broadcasts throughout the New Year, but we hope it won't cause you too much trouble.
A: And the next letter comes from Rajiv Thind of New Zealand:
"I began listening to shortwave radio in 1995 when I was 15. CRI is one of the most reliable radio stations for me to get information from. Your broadcasts come over loud and clear every evening. As a long time shortwave listener, I think you have made great improvement in content and quality over the years. I never sent you feedback before, but I plan to start sending in my reception reports in the New Year."
B: Rajiv continues to say: "By the way, do you know that almost everything available in the local stores here is made in China. And there are lots of Chinese people here in New Zealand. They are all very nice and friendly. From them I've got to learn more about China and its culture."
A: Glad to hear from you Rajiv. We cherish your friendship with the Chinese people very much, and it will be a great pleasure if we can begin receiving your reception reports in the New Year. Thanks for your help.
B: Next, we'll answer some questions from our listeners. Alex M from the U.S writes in to ask:
"What is China's major export? I have heard China is a very crowded place. What is the most populated province, and the least populated province? And also, I know that rice is often grown in China. What other crops are grown in China? And which of those crops is grown in the largest quantity?"
A: Hi, Alex, you have asked a number of questions. Let's answer them one by one. You know China is one of the largest manufacturing countries in the world. Its major export commodities are mechanical, electrical and textile products.
B: As for your second question, the total population in China has amounted to 1.3 billion. The most populated province is Henan in central China, with a population of 100 million, while the least populated region is Macao, inhabited by 550 thousand people.
A: And finally, about the crops. More than 20 kinds of crops are grown in China, such as rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, millet and tuber crops.
B: Among them rice is grown in the largest quantity. It grows in areas totalling 28 million hectares, and accounts for 30 percent of the country's annual grain output. It's followed by wheat, which makes up 20 percent.
A: Well, Alex, we hope that has answered your questions. If you have any other questions, please feel free to write to us again.
B: Next, our Indian listener Matiur Rahaman wants to know which is the largest Buddhist temple in China.
A: Hello, Matiur, I wonder if you have listened to our shows on CRI's ongoing Sichuan Knowledge Contest. One report in the quiz mentions the Emei (pron: er-may) Mountain, one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China.
B: That's right, the largest Buddhist temple in China is the Giant Buddha Temple, located right on Emei Mountain in Sichuan province.
A: The temple was first built in the 16th century and covered an area of 20 hectares. It used to be the most famous temple on Emei Mountain. But part of the architecture was badly damaged over the years.
B: In 1996, a grand renovation and expansion project was launched on the temple. The expanded complex reopened to the public in mid-December, and forms a new tourist attraction on Emei Mountain.
A: The new compound covers an area of 30 hectares, making it the largest Buddhist temple in the country.
B: Alright, that's all we have time for on today's Letterbox. Listeners Garden will continue after the break.
A: Welcome back to Listeners Garden. I'm LPC.
B: And I'm JP. As Spring Festival approaches, so does the peak shopping season here in China.
A: Yes. Retailers are taking this opportunity to boost sales with attractive discounts and promotional activities.
B: Although consumers worldwide have become more frugal when it comes to spending, it seems the financial crisis hasn't dampened the Chinese people's passion for consumption during the festival season.
A: Well, I think the economic downturn may urge Chinese people to save money at other times, but not during the Spring Festival, the most joyful occasion of the year.
B: Not to mention the huge discounts and promotions at this period of time, a big attraction for many consumers.
A: Absolutely. You know, the shopping craze at the festival season often reminds me of my childhood, when the Spring Festival was the only time our parents could buy us new clothes and special delicacies. At that time, even if you had enough money in your pocket, you might not be able to get what you needed.
B: Yes, in the old days, there wasn't such an abundant supply of goods as there is today. So the government had to issue ration coupons to balance supply and demand. People used different kinds of coupons to buy different foods, like grain, eggs, meat, vegetables and oil.
A: During the Spring Festival, people could get more coupons to buy extra food for the holiday. So for the children, the Spring Festival was always the most anticipated occasion of the year, when they could wear new clothes, eat more meat and savour some tasty snacks.
B: Following China's fast economic development, the market began to flourish more and more. The ration coupons finally dropped out of use in the early 1990s. And along with the disappearance of the coupons, more and more supermarkets emerged and grew in popularity with customers. They have become the first choice for many urban residents when it comes to buying their daily necessities.
A: The booming market allows people to buy whatever they need and however many things they want as long as they have enough money to pay for them.
B: With the popularity of the Internet, online purchasing has become a fashionable way to shop in China. In 2005, the national online trade figure was two billion US dollars, but last year, about 14 billion US dollars worth of transactions took place via the Internet.
A: Nowadays, shopping is considered a pleasure for many people. The days have gone forever when people had to wait for the Spring Festival to buy some special goods. But I will never forget the past, so I can better cherish these happier times.
B: That's right. Although the shadow of the financial crisis is still hanging over many of us, let's wish the Chinese people and people worldwide a more prosperous life in the years to come.
A: Well, with that we end this edition of Listeners Garden. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Our email address is garden@cri.com.cn.
B: You can also listen to our program online by logging on to our website at crienglish.com.
A: I'm LPC, thanks for being with us.
B: And I'm AE, hoping to see you again at the same time next week. Bye for now.
