[Photo provided to China Daily]

Poon choi is difficult to make, and it has become common for people in South China to order it from restaurants for Spring Festival celebration, Wu says. Tang Palace started to sell poon choi 10 years ago in Shenzhen, where it opened its first outlet in 1997. Inspired by the popularity of poon choi, it decided to offer people more takeout food for the Spring Festival two years ago.

A set menu was developed that has its signature seafood dishes, such as Cantonese frozen Alaskan crab, and poultry and other meat, following the Chinese Spring Festival dinner tradition.

All the dishes are packed individually and are accompanied by reheating instructions, and are sold both individually or in a set of eight courses that costs a total of about 1,000 yuan.

Lu Zizi, of Shanghai, says it is more convenient to order takeout dinner for Spring Festival Eve dinner than to cook it at home. Since her family started doing this a few years ago, they have never been to a restaurant to have New Year's Eve dinner, or tuan yuan fan, she says.

Instead, they buy from restaurants dishes that are difficult to prepare and cook, such as attractive rice cakes and dishes made with abalone, sea cucumber, crab and fish maw, and cook a few simple dishes at home.

Restaurants are often crowed and noisy on Spring Festival Eve, and it is much more convenient to have the family reunion dinner in one's home, Lu says.

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