New | How the mobile internet is changing the way Chinese celebrate Spring Festival

There are many traditional holidays in China, but the Lunar New Year holiday, or Spring Festival as it is known locally, is top of the list in Chinese culture.

It is the time when hundreds of millions of working urban dwellers return home for get-together moments with their families.

To pull that off, hard-to-get train or plane tickets have to be booked at least one month in advance. Food, fruit, wine and candy are often prepared in advance by loving parents in order to give their children a once-a-year family feast.

But increasingly in the era of the mobile internet, in which app-enabled on-demand services such as Uber Technologies and Airbnb have changed people’s everyday life, celebrating the Spring Festival is becoming less traditional and more innovative by linking supply and demand in ways not possible before.

Here are some popular ways mainland Chinese are celebrating an “on-demand” Lunar New Year.