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)