Volunteers serve free Laba porridge for sanitation workers in Haigang District of Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Cao Jianxiong/Xinhua)

Staff members serve Laba porridge for passengers at Hefei South Railway Station in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Staff members serve Laba porridge for passengers at Hefei South Railway Station in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

A teacher explains the knowledge of making Laba porridge to children at a kindergarten in Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Yin Chao/Xinhua)

Children learn to make Laba garlic, a vinegar-preserved green and slightly spicy dish, at a kindergarten in Qiaoxi District, Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)

Children paint garlic-themed toys at a kindergarten in Changxing County, Huzhou of east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Tan Yunfeng/Xinhua)

Residents receive Laba porridge in Wuxing District of Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Yi Fan/Xinhua)

A staff member serves free Laba porridge for citizens at a market in Ganzhou District of Zhangye, northwest China's Gansu Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Chen Li/Xinhua)

Students draw festive patterns on a blackboard at a middle school in Zunhua, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 6, 2025. Various activities were held across the country to welcome the upcoming Laba Festival that falls on Jan. 7 this year. (Photo by Liu Mancang/Xinhua)