CRI听力:Listen to our New Year messages: "我是老北京. I'm Paul James."

"'我是老北京'

I'm Paul James… host of The Beijing Hour here on China Radio International.

Normally when I tell people "I'm old Beijing," the comment is often met with a chuckle and a healthy dose of skepticism. But when I explain that I've lived here in the Chinese capital for close to 12-years now, most locals… following a moment of surprise… have been willing to graciously accept me as one of their own.

This is why I have come to love Spring Festival here in Beijing. It gives me a chance to relax a bit and truly reflect on what this city, and this country, has meant to me through the years.

Saying this, if you're heading out of Beijing to your hometown, or just getting out of the hustle-and-bustle of the capital for a break, I hope the Year of the Rooster is able to provide you with a sense of warmth and closeness that my years here in Beijing, and China, have been able to give to me.

'新春快乐'... and all the best in the Year of the Rooster."