Across the world at this time of year people make resolutions and start thinking about what the year ahead might have in store for them and their families.

Here in China the main celebration's for the New Year – Chinese Lunar New Year or The Spring Festival– are still some way off – you'll have to wait until February 14th for that. But even so, New Year's Day is a public holiday in China and marks the official beginning of 2010.

So this weekend we went out and asked ordinary Chinese people: what are your hopes for 2010? Here's what they had to say - in today's Straight from the Street.

Lunar New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. And for many Chinese, it's the only chance to go back home to stay with their parents. But going home does not always make them feel excited.

Here are our poll questions: What are you most afraid of during Spring Festival holiday?
Having little money and being asked by people 56%
Being single and being forced to get married 15%
Can't get tickets 16%
Not afraid of anything 13%

Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it’s known here, starts on the 14th, and is the most important holiday of the year here in China.

The country has been on the move for several days now, with families anxious to get home in time to celebrate. As a result, tickets of any type are harder to come by.

But two young students decided to make the journey from Changsha to Yongzhou in a much more basic fashion. Foregoing planes, trains, buses or automobiles the intrepid pair made the 250 mile journey - entirely on foot!

As in much of the rest of the western world, Christmas decorations started appearing in Beijing several weeks ago. Chinese website huanqiu.com reports the Christmas spirit in China is growing stronger every year, gaining ground on the traditional Chinese Spring Festival.

Recent media reports claim that China's younger generation increasingly looks forward to Christmas, and that, as a result, anticipation for the Spring Festival is somewhat more subdued.

Huanqiu conducted a poll asking Chinese net users if they thought Christmas net users can steal the spotlight from the Spring Festival. Just 20 percent said yes, while 80 percent said no.

Now to a story that goes back to this time last year …Plans are underway to renovate a building that is part of Beijing's iconic CCTV headquarters complex – and which was gutted by fire during last year's Spring Festival. And now it’s been announced that over 70 people have been held officially responsible – to varying degrees - for the devastating blaze.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Building has stood largely untouched for almost a year now since it was gutted by an inferno on the very last day of last year’s Spring Festival holiday. The cause of the fire was an illegal firework set off during CCTV's New Year celebrations. In addition to the material damage, one firefighter died and several others were injured as they struggled to put out the blaze.  China’s State Council yesterday officially announced that 71 people had been held responsible for the fire. It's said of these, 44 will be referred to the courts for prosecution while 27 others will face disciplinary sanctions. Zhao Huayong, who stepped down as head of the state broadcaster back in May, will receive an administrative demotion.