If you’re gearing up to decorate for Chinese New Year and want a bulletin board that truly stands out, you’re in the right place.

Chinese New Year is rich with color, symbolism, and traditions, which means there’s no shortage of creative ways to turn a simple board into a festive display.

Whether you’re decorating for a classroom, office, library, hallway, or community center, these bulletin board ideas will help you celebrate the Lunar New Year with vibrancy, meaning, and plenty of style.

Let’s jump into these 24 Chinese New Year bulletin board ideas that are fun to make, visually striking, and perfect for setting the tone for this meaningful celebration.

1. Red and Gold Welcome Board

Red and gold are the signature colors of Chinese New Year, symbolizing happiness, prosperity, and good fortune.

A simple red background paired with gold borders, lettering, and accents creates a bulletin board that looks elegant and celebratory.

Add gold coins, fireworks graphics, or decorative knots to complete the theme. This is a timeless, classic option that suits any environment.

2. Year of the Zodiac Animal Display

Each Chinese New Year centers around one of the 12 zodiac animals. Create a board that highlights the zodiac animal of the year. Use bold cutouts, fun facts, personality traits, and even student-made artwork.

You can make it interactive by letting students write predictions or resolutions based on the animal’s characteristics. It’s both decorative and educational.

3. Paper Lantern Parade Board

Paper lanterns are iconic symbols of the Lunar New Year. For this board, fill the space with hanging lantern cutouts in different shapes, colors, and designs.

Let students decorate their own lanterns and add them to the display. Use gold string or ribbon to give the illusion that the lanterns are floating. This idea brings color, creativity, and movement to your bulletin board.

4. Firecracker Celebration Board

Firecrackers are used during Chinese New Year to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. Create a dynamic board featuring paper firecrackers bursting with ribbon streamers and bright paper sparks.

Add phrases like “Welcome Good Luck” or “Celebrate the New Year with a Bang.” The energetic theme makes this board feel lively and festive.

5. Lucky Red Envelopes Board

Red envelopes (hongbao) represent blessings and good fortune. Cover your bulletin board with real or paper red envelopes, each decorated with gold Chinese characters or symbols.

You can make them interactive by placing inspirational messages or student-made notes inside. It’s a meaningful board that highlights one of the most beloved Chinese New Year traditions.

6. Dragon Parade Bulletin Board

The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations. Craft a giant dragon spanning across the board using colorful tissue paper, construction paper scales, and movable accordion-style segments. This idea adds big visual impact and brings the energy of a parade indoors. It’s especially exciting for classrooms and school hallways.

7. Chinese New Year Greeting Board

Use the phrase “Gong Xi Fa Cai” or “Xin Nian Kuai Le” as the centerpiece of the board. Surround it with decorative elements like gold ingots, lanterns, cherry blossoms, or zodiac animals. Choose a bold font and place the greeting front and center. This board is simple, wholesome, and perfect for welcoming everyone into the celebration.

8. Cherry Blossom Wishes Board

Cherry blossoms symbolize renewal and the arrival of spring. Create a board with a large cherry blossom tree and let students write their wishes for the new year on pink blossoms. Attach them to the branches to form a blooming display. It’s interactive, pretty, and full of meaningful symbolism.

9. Lucky Knots and Symbols Display

Chinese decorative knots symbolize unity and good luck. Cut out knot shapes from red cardstock and add gold embellishments for detail. Surround your knots with symbolic items like goldfish, coins, scrolls, and lanterns. This board is visually stunning and offers a chance to introduce students or visitors to the meaning behind traditional Chinese motifs.

10. Zodiac Wheel Bulletin Board

Create a circular zodiac wheel featuring all 12 zodiac animals. Include descriptions of each sign along with personality traits, lucky colors, and compatible signs. Make the center of the wheel large and eye-catching with gold paper or glitter accents. This board is both informative and decorative, perfect for classrooms or educational spaces.

11. Traditional Chinese Architecture Board

Highlight the beauty of traditional Chinese temples, archways, and roofs. Build a visual scene using layered paper cutouts in red, gold, blue, and green hues. You can add small lanterns, cherry blossoms, or a zodiac animal nearby. This board feels cultural and artistic, bringing a touch of history to your space.

12. Lunar New Year Food Celebration Board

Food plays a huge role in Chinese New Year celebrations. Create a board featuring iconic dishes like dumplings, rice cakes, whole fish, tangerines, and longevity noodles. Use illustrated or cutout food items with labels explaining the symbolism behind each dish. This board is educational and delicious-looking.

13. Red Envelope Tree Board

Similar to a wish tree, create a large tree on your bulletin board and hang red envelopes as ornaments. Encourage students or coworkers to write kind messages or positive affirmations and place them inside. The envelopes act like leaves, giving your board a unique and symbolic design.

14. Chinese Fans Display

Decorative fans add elegance and color to your board. Let students paint or draw their own fan designs, featuring dragons, flowers, or landscapes. Arrange the fans in a semi-circle across the board to create the feel of an art gallery. Fans give your décor a refined, cultural touch.

15. Good Fortune Character Board

The Chinese character “Fu,” meaning good fortune, is often displayed upside down during the New Year to symbolize luck arriving. Create a large “Fu” character and decorate the board with gold ingots, coins, and traditional patterns. This design is simple yet deeply symbolic and looks beautiful on any wall.

16. Tangram Puzzle Bulletin Board

Tangrams are ancient Chinese puzzles that encourage creativity and problem-solving. Create a bulletin board featuring colorful tangram shapes. Arrange them into animals, lanterns, or zodiac creatures. This is a fun and interactive way to celebrate Chinese culture while giving your space a playful twist.

17. Lantern Festival Theme

The Lantern Festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration. Decorate your board with glowing lanterns, moon shapes, fireworks, and riddles for students to solve. Add elements like lantern silhouettes or paper cutouts to create depth. This board offers a perfect blend of tradition and fun.

18. Zodiac Animal Masks Board

Have students create masks of the zodiac animals out of paper plates, cardstock, or felt. Display their masks across the board, along with brief descriptions of each animal’s characteristics. It’s a collaborative and vibrant idea that makes everyone feel part of the celebration.

19. Chinese Calligraphy Art Display

Calligraphy plays an important role in Chinese culture. Create a board showcasing calligraphy strokes, Chinese characters, and student-made calligraphy artwork. Use black ink-style lettering on red or gold backgrounds. This bulletin board feels artistic, traditional, and educational at the same time.

20. Wishes and Resolutions Scroll Board

Make paper scrolls using rolled edges and display them across the board. Students or coworkers can write their new year resolutions, goals, or hopes for the future on each scroll. Use gold yarn or ribbon as ties for added detail. This board ties together reflection, creativity, and tradition beautifully.

21. Abacus Counting Display

The abacus is an ancient Chinese mathematical tool. Create a colorful paper abacus using wooden dowels or rolled paper rods with pom-poms or paper beads. Display counting activities, number patterns, or fun facts about the abacus. This idea adds a clever educational twist to your holiday décor.

22. Fireworks Night Scene Board

Fireworks play a huge part in Chinese New Year celebrations. Design a dark background and fill the board with bright, colorful paper fireworks bursting across the sky. Add buildings or silhouettes below to create a nighttime cityscape. This board brings drama, color, and excitement to any room.

23. Dragon Boat Tradition Board

Although dragon boat racing happens later in the year, the dragon itself is strongly tied to Chinese cultural festivals. Create a board featuring dragon boats, waves, oars, and student-made paper paddlers. It’s a vibrant, action-filled display that teaches cultural traditions while staying visually fun.

24. Cultural Symbols Collage Board

For a flexible, all-inclusive design, create a collage of Chinese cultural symbols such as lotus flowers, jade pieces, lanterns, coins, firecrackers, and zodiac animals. Mix textures, patterns, and colors to give the board a layered, artistic feel. This is perfect when you want a little bit of everything represented.

Conclusion

Chinese New Year bulletin boards offer endless opportunities to celebrate culture, creativity, and community. Whether you prefer symbolic traditions like red envelopes and dragons or artistic elements like calligraphy and fans, each idea brings its own meaningful touch to your décor. These 24 bulletin board ideas are designed to help you share the festive spirit, spark learning, and brighten up your space with color and excitement. No matter which direction you choose, your display will not only look stunning but will also honor the rich traditions of the Lunar New Year in a beautiful and engaging way.