Trips abroad replace Chinese New Year treks to grandma's

Beijing

SHI Ying will not be making the traditional pilgrimage back to Shanghai to celebrate the Chinese New Year holiday with her extended family. Instead, they are all going to Japan for shopping and sightseeing.

That new custom lets her family bypass the mobs, clogged roads and subways, lousy customer service - and boredom - that can mark holidays at home. During the past few celebrations, Ms Shi and her relatives left China for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the US.

"The last thing my parents want for the Chinese New Year is a cheerless holiday wit…