When many people returned home for the most important festival in China, when lights went up and reunion dinners were on the table, some employees of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) were still working on the forefront of the company’s overseas project. Though thousands of miles away from home, they celebrated the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, in their own ways.

Employees of CSCEC Egypt at the CBD project in the country’s new administrative capital

Employees of CSCEC Algeria at the Great Mosque of Algiers project

Employees of CSCEC second engineering division’s Botswana branch at the SSR project in Vietnam and the Pension project in Zambia

Employees of CSCEC third engineering division at the Astoria project in Sri Lanka and the Corridor 5C project in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Employees of CSCEC seventh engineering division in Nepal

Employees of CSCEC Malaysia

Brush-writing “Fu” character and putting up couplets

Putting up couplets and the Chinese character “Fu” (meaning “good fortunes”) has been a practice closely associated with the Spring Festival for long. With international colleagues joining the celebration, the tradition took on a new form, and couplets and the “Fu” character in multiple languages turned up on pieces of red paper.

Employees at the CBD project in Egypt’s new administrative capital brush-writing new year blessings in three languages

Zambian employees displaying the “Fu” character

Hanging up lanterns and putting up couplets

Making dumplings and having traditional Chinese dishes

Employees at the Grand Mosque project in Algeria piecing up the Chinese character “Nian” (meaning “year”) with dumplings

Employees of CSCEC Middle East having festive dinner

Employees of CSCEC seventh engineering division in Nepal having potluck dinner