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I am a few days late.  The New Year was on February 18th.  I celebrated with a Starbucks coffee, but most of my Chinese friends and associates spent New Year's Eve stuffing themselves with delicious food with their families.  According to this Wikipedia article, people traveling during the Spring Festival period (which accompanies the New Year) account for the largest single migration on the planet every year.  According to the article (which does not make it fact), 2 billion train passengers were recorded during this time in 2006.  That's more than the population of China.  Veracity aside, China's trains can be a fun, cultural experience, but I wouldn't want anything to do with them during this period.

The festivities in China last about a week or so, and it's a major holiday during which most businesses, factories, etc., shut down.  February is always a hectic month for getting projects done there.  The weeks leading up to the New Year celebrations involve factories going crazy trying to push through as much as they can before the respite.  When the celebrations begin to subside and people start returning to work, there is another week or so during which everyone is playing catch-up.   Folks in Hong Kong return to work earlier.  But if you're communicating with an office in HK, chances are you're working with a factory on the mainland and  you're just not going to get much done.  Planning your projects around this time is key.  It's also a good time to try and take on a 15-course dinner in one sitting.  Both are a worthy challenge in my book.