People visit National Maritime Museum of China in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Aug. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Sun Fanyue)

 Mounting enthusiasm has been displayed by cities around China through the crowds' spontaneous New Year's Eve countdown festivities, where throngs of people in city centers were seen celebrating the 2024 New Year Eve on Sunday.

Displaying contagious excitement among them all, many believe that the vibrant atmosphere, which has been less obvious in previous years, highlighted people's expectation for a fresh start in the next year. People honored the achievements and accomplishments of the previous year, while looking forward to the bright times ahead, whether they were gathered with family or friends.

Ice tourism has not only recently gained momentum and ignited people's interest in winter sports, but it has also brought high traffic to northeastern China's touristic destinations. On the streets of Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, a Guinness World Record was witnessed on Sunday's New Year Eve where hundreds of people danced to the recent influential internet phenomenon Subject 3, a freestyle street dance accompanied by the pulsating rhythm of an upbeat Chinese song.

Similar countdown events happened in cities such as Tianjin and Wuhan. Hundreds and thousands of people crammed into the Hanjiang street in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province and joined the event, where in some videos on China's Douyin, participants can be seen counting down to the 2024 New Year's Day on Sunday evening.

The eager anticipation of the residents for New Year's Day can be seen from the numbers as well, as the public data show that the East Lake Scenic Area in Wuhan witnessed over 100 million visitors during this year's holidays, a historical record.

Tianjin became another popular place for young people to celebrate their New Year Eve.

"After this summer's Tianjin diving grandpas went viral on China's social media, the city has become a popular destination for many young people from nearby cities to spend holidays and weekends," said Liu, a Beijing-based Tianjin local on Monday.

"Right after I saw the announcement of the countdown event, I invited my friends to come to Tianjin for the New Year celebration," she said. "We have seen the open air concert, the young people in traditional Chinese clothes and the whole atmosphere was exceptional."