The Straits Times – 10 Feb 1980 – A timely disc forLunar New Year. f=/ S]o4/3
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Chinese New Year always brings me nostalgic memories of the good old days of cracker-firing. Ks7s2 vK^
Fire-crackers have been banned for a decade, but their sounds are still carried over radio and television and heard over tapes and records. v%zI~g.L
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I like this LP because it creates a festive mood.It is timely for the Chinese New Year. It features not only new songs but also recordings on the significance of New Year customs, like why crackers are fired and why Hong Baos are exchanged, why Spring scrolls are pasted on door panels and why so much watermelon seeds are consumed during the festival. uT;Qo{G^
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There is an old ballad, “Bai Da Nian” (it literallymeans “pray big year”),from Sui Yan, the capital of 0C3Yina9
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Gan Shuj province borderingMongolia. It’s tune is the same as Wan Xiao Er’s “New Year”, but the 0"
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musical arrangement is different. MlRgdVX
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The theme song, sung by Liu Wenzhen, is satirical: “As the value of paper currency is fast declining, I|WBT
it is better to have an oil well at the doorstep than having Hong Bao with dollars and cheques…” xu+wi>Y^
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All the 10 songs, by popular Mandarin singers, are very lively. /jj}.X7yH
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