People around the world are celebrating Chinese New Year on Monday, February 8. But the master monkey trainers of China’s Xinye County are especially excited for the Year of the Monkey to begin. These trainers travel from village to village, performing on the streets with their macaque monkeys. The monkeys do tricks such as riding bicycles and shooting hoops. Macaque monkeys have been performing in China for hundreds of years. But recently these performances have become much less popular. Many trainers believe their work is an important part of Chinese history. They hope the new year will bring them more business and help keep this tradition alive.
