On the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, also known as Laba, locals gather to cook Laba porridge, the most important part of the festival. Generally, the porridge contains eight ingredients, which can include glutinous rice, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almonds and peanuts. Wuxi locals will add vegetables and ribs to make salty ones. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Locals in Yangshan town in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, are busy making preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

They gathered to cook porridge, make rice wine and rice cakes, make spring couplets, and make handicrafts for the New Year.

Home-made rice wine is a traditional drink in Wuxi during the annual Spring Festival. The craft of making rice wine in Yangshan town has been passed down from generation to generation. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]

Rice cakes are also a Spring Festival staple in Wuxi. Its Chinese name "年糕" (nian gao) is a homophone for "year higher" (年高), which represents the desire to increase prosperity year after year. The traditional method of making rice cakes for the Chinese New Year still exists in Yangshan town. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxishilvyouju]