Spring festival started on a clear, crisp, sunny day this year. Beautiful weather for loud fireworks!
Everything is fully decorated.
Most people aren't around — everybody goes home for the holidays, so Beijing is very quiet and relaxed for a week or so.
These are all the huge new recently constructed and fully empty buildings near my house.
New shopping mall being built with Korean money.
A few of us went out for food (which is like eating out at a restaurant on Christmas day in the West).
Amazingly enough, on Ghost Street, when the restaurants say 24x7, they aren't kidding.
But the fun begins at midnight.
Driving down the street behind my house was kind of like driving in a war zone. Only slightly more dangerous
Everybody heading home to get to the fireworks.
Neighbours setting stuff on fire.
The fireworks were much tamer this year, ending at, on average, 1am, instead of the 2-3am in previous years. Much much less money spent.
Okay, here's teh good stuff: The videos. 
It's a good thing everything is made of brick and stone in this country. (75s) 
(120s+) 
(short) 
(100s) 
These scare the living bejeeeezus out of me! The video doesn't do justice to just how insanely loud they are. They're like land mines — they leap into the air and then BANG... aiya!