The Spring Festival vibes have increased to a peak in the Chinatown in Los Angeles as celebrations including grand parade were held there, offering visitors a rich cultural experience and an opportunity to engage in exchanges between China and the United States.
The Spring Festival has always been an occasion for family reunion and for special celebrations, and is considered one of the most important festivals of the year for the Asian-American community in the United States.
The 2025 Spring Festival falls on Wednesday with special events being scheduled in Chinatowns in large cities like Los Angeles from late January all the way into the middle of February.
The events in Los Angeles Chinatown featured captivating parade and rounds of dances, and the tourists could have the opportunity to write their best wishes for the Year of the Snake on small wooden plaques, a tradition believed to bring good luck in the new year.
Celebrations like these provide opportunities for Americans and for foreign visitors to get acquainted with Chinese traditions and customs.
"We had a lovely meal at Yang Chao's restaurant. And there's all kinds of pictures of celebrities that are frequent there as well, and the prices are very good. Yeah, it's a new experience," said Joanne, a visitor.
"It's a beautiful culture. From my heart, I admire the Chinese culture. And here we saw the Bruce Lee statue, that taught us about the martial arts and what a great discipline that is. We also visited several stores. There are beautiful clothes and something really useful," said Carolina, another visitor.
Across the United States, festive occasions held to celebrate Spring Festival serve as valuable opportunities to foster meaningful people-to-people connections between China and the U.S., underscoring the significance of cultural exchange between the two countries.
Los Angeles Chinatown holds celebrations to welcome Spring Festival
As China's 15th Five-Year Plan enters its inaugural year, Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a re-elected Hong Kong deputy in the National People's Congress, said he hopes Hong Kong can better integrate into and contribute to the nation's overall development.
That involves ensuring Hong Kong's voice is heard in the development of national strategies, while effectively communicating the central government's vision to the people of Hong Kong, Fok said.
This year, Fok brought nine proposals to the ongoing 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, covering different areas including sports, culture, aviation and consumption.
"I'm always very concerned about sports and culture. This is where really my heart lies. But I think as a deputy I should also have a much broader [vision], not just concentrate on one specific area. So, of course, I mentioned about sports and also Greater Bay Area sports. But another issue, maybe first time I brought it to the table, is about our aviation hub. How do we keep up with the race with all the regional hubs also rising at the same time? This is our core strategy, core competence in Hong Kong and how do we make it better," Fok said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) released on Saturday.
In the 2026 Government Work Report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of the 14th NPC on Thursday, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is encouraged to build itself into a world-class city cluster.
The report also pledged to develop the Greater Bay Area into an international center for scientific and technological innovation.
"I also think about the national objectives, what are the important milestones we are trying to hit in the next five years, next 10 years. China has been doing so well and it's such a great exporter to the world as a part of the world village. But we need to strengthen ourselves by increasing consumption. Actually, consumption should be the core of our engine. We should enable our own population to be able to consume more to boost the economy," he said.
China's NPC deputy discusses how HK can better integrate into country’s overall development
