Year of the Ram celebrated abroad

Chinese New Year is playing an increasingly important role in the intercultural communications and becoming a window for other countries to get to know China, said Luo Linquan, Chinese consul general in San Francisco at a press conference on Wednesday.

To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, a series of cultural exchange events has been set to take place in the consular district from Feb 1 to March 8, Luo said, sending his New Year's greetings to the gathering.

"This year, activities under the theme ‘Happy Chinese New Year' will have three general characteristics: the celebration will take place in a much broader area, performances will be more diverse and cooperation with Chinese and local groups will get deeper and closer," according to Luo.

A Chinese New Year Symphonic Concert will be held at the Flint Center in Cupertino on Feb 22, artistic director and conductor Cai Jindong announced.

The concert will focus on Chinese contemporary music and is organized by the Pacific Arts & Culture Exchange (PACE) for the first time in Silicon Valley. "We are excited to present an evening where people from diverse cultural backgrounds can gather and celebrate this special occasion," said Cai.

"We will present an array of exciting Chinese music performances," he said, including Dramatic Cantata, Ask the Sky and the Earth, Spring Festival Overture, Little Sisters in Grassland Pipa Concerto and Yellow River Piano Concerto. The concert features about 200 professionals and music lovers from the Chinese mainland and overseas, including a 100-person ensemble of musicians from the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra," said Cai, who noted that this is the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra's first time to visit North America.

Besides the Chinese New Year Symphonic Concert, the Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival 2015 will be held in Stanford's Bing Concert Hall on Feb 20 and 21 to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Moreover, Panda International Arts Festival featuring the performance of the Anhui Opera Theater will be held at the Performance Art Center in San Leandro on Feb 1.

The seventh annual Spring Festival Silicon Valley will be launched at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose on Mar 1.

In Las Vegas, the 4th Annual Chinese New Year in the Desert will be held in Feb 20 and 21.

"Chinese New Year gives Las Vegas and its visitors the opportunity to honor and celebrate Chinese heritage in a vibrant and exciting way," said Michael Goldsmith, vice-president of international marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority. "The numerous events and festivities hosted throughout the week illustrate Las Vegas is the premiere destination to celebrate this special occasion."

Xiao Xiayong, cultural counselor at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, said he hoped that these events would inspire Americans' interest in learning more about Chinese culture, and also continue to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Xiao said that in 2014, there were 570 performances and activities held under the theme of Happy Chinese New Year in 321 cities outside China and he looked forward to seeing more this year.

zilian@chinadailyusa.com