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A man sets off fireworks to celebrate the New Year on the beach in Houhai Village, Hainan Island.
PHOTO: EPA
Andrew Higgins
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SANYA, China – Gathered on New Year’s Eve in the banquet hall of a beachside hotel in southern China, tipsy revellers jumped to their feet to toast the arrival of 2026 – two hours early.
They were not befuddled by too much drink but wanted to celebrate the start of the New Year according to the time in Vladivostok, a Russian city two hours ahead of China.
