Originally Posted by jiejie

Easy one. Choose HK for the actual Chinese New Year. The CNY celebration period on the mainland goes on for two weeks after official New Year's Day. Although the main fireworks will be over, most every night will have a lot of illicit fireworks and also nonstop firecrackers. (Tip: Bring earplugs). If you can get to a temple festival during your first day or so in Shanghai area, that might be a nice touch of traditional China to see.