• The Chinese New Year festivities traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month. This year it falls on 7 February 2008.
• In the Chinese calendar we are entering the year 4706.
• 4706 is the Year of the Rat. People born in the Year of the Rat are thought to become leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. The Rat comes around every 12 years based on the legend that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year - twelve came, and he named a year after each one, announcing that people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.
• The Chinese people age a year together. Tradition holds that on the seventh day of the new year, all people in China become a year older.
• The Chinese Lantern Festival occurs on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. Families walk the streets with lanterns, marking the end of festivities and eat food that is traditional to their part of China.

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China is neglecting its commitment to improve human rights standards - torture is used to control people, and the death penalty is applied frequently.

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After long-term imprisonment for speaking publicly about human rights issues, Wei Jingsheng was finally released with help from Amnesty International. Your donation will be used to help individuals from around the world who are suffering from human rights violations, like Wei Jingsheng was.