As the Spring Festival draws near, many scholars have suggested the Spring Festival be set Feb. 4, which is the Beginning of Spring in the traditional lunar calendar, to avoid inconveniences brought by changing the festival's date each year.

But many people recalled the past when an ancient emperor system was overthrown and China introduced the universal calendar instead of the lunar calendar. The traditional Chinese festival such as the Spring Festival was changed into Jan. 1, the same day as the New Year. Though reformers described the festival date change as a signal of social progress, it eventually ended in failure.

The most important thing may not lie in the change of the date but the culture. The traditional Chinese festival is deeply rooted in people's minds as a national heritage.

Generations of Chinese people are used to getting together with family members for a grand dinner on New Year's Eve.

The lunar calendar has been used by Chinese more than 3,000 years and holds a key place in traditional Chinese culture. It may be easy for the government to launch a new schedule, but it is difficult for Chinese to change an old tradition. Even though the changing date of the Spring Festival causes some inconvenience to people's life, they still look forward to celebrating it each year.

Every country has its own conventions and customs, and it is better to keep them as long as they do not affect the development of the society.

Editor: Catherine