The Chinatown in San Francisco, a city with one of the largest Chinese populations in the United States, are bursting with festive joy and vibrancy as it ushers in the Spring Festival.
The grand Chinese New Year parade and celebrations began a week before the festival in San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest in North America.
City officials, business leaders, and community activists marched together in solidarity down the streets of the Chinatown, while dancing children, pageant queens, and teens on stilts celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Snake.
"I think this year, or in the last five years our Chinatown has been struggling. I think this is really the year that Chinatown is going to be transformed back to its former glory," said Donald Luu, president of the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce, expressing his good wishes for the upcoming year.
The lively flower market fair is one of the main attractions in the Chinese neighborhood, drawing local residents and visitors from afar.
"So you have people picking through the orchids, trying to find the perfect bud that they predict will open on Chinese New Year's Day," said Keith Tyran, service manager of Lucky California.
Another highlight in Chinatown is a four-and-a-half-meter-tall golden cat artwork by artist Bijun Liang, who was born in China's Guangzhou and raised in San Francisco's Chinatown.
"Just so much joy. For me, just being someone that grew up in Chinatown in San Francisco, just as someone that immigrated here with my family when I was five years old, who would think that 20 something years later, I would get to make a big piece for multiple people to come by and get to see it in my own neighborhood?" said Liang.
During the Spring Festival period, the Chinatown is bustling with activity as people stock up on items to serve their family and guests.
"This is the time when Chinese families, many Asian families get their houses ready. All the different things you need to get ready for the New Year. You need to clean your house. You need to cut your hair. But you also need to get your decorations. You need to get your flowers. You need to get all of the things that symbolize prosperity, wealth and renewal in the New Year," said Malcolm Yeung, executive director of Chinatown Community Development Center.
Decorations and signs featuring the snake, along with other animal sculptures, are also on display, enhancing the festive atmosphere.
San Francisco's Chinatown welcomes Spring Festival with joy, vibrancy
San Francisco's Chinatown welcomes Spring Festival with joy, vibrancy
