An expo of things to buy for the upcoming Spring Festival opens in Hohhot, capital of North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Jan 8. More than 800 businesses are showing their wares at the 13-day expo, being held at the Inner Mongolia International Convention and Exhibition Center. [Photo/Xinhua]

Locals buy sausages at the expo. Anticipation about the fun to be had at Spring Festival is warming things up, even in the chilly weather of Hohhot, with people busy buying goodies at the expo. Spring Festival is the most important festival in China. The festival will fall on Jan 24 this year, marking the Year of the Rat. [Photo/Xinhua]

A wide variety of Spring Festival sayings go on sale at the expo. Spring Festival couplets, or chunlian, are one of the most important customs used to celebrate the period. The couplets consist of two paper scrolls, inscribed with lines of poetry or auspicious sayings, pasted vertically on both sides of a door. [Photo/Xinhua]