A landmark shopping and entertainment complex in New Jersey illuminated its signature Dream Wheel in red to celebrate the Chinese New Year, while a folk music concert in Brussels offered European audiences a festive showcase of Chinese culture over the weekend.
Hundreds of invited guests gathered at the American Dream Meadowlands Mall, the largest shopping and entertainment center in the eastern United States, as the countdown began. Known as the "Eye of New York," the towering observation wheel lit up in bright red, casting a festive glow across the complex.
The ceremony at the shopping and entertainment complex in New Jersey was held on Sunday as communities welcomed the Chinese New Year, creating a vibrant holiday atmosphere and highlighting growing people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S.
"I've been to China myself more than 20 times. And I love Chinese people, respect the Chinese people very much. Happy New Year to all the Chinese people," said Nader Ghermezian, chairman of the Triple Five Group, a family-run real estate conglomerate that owns the American Dream Meadowlands Mall, who joined other guests on stage in activating the lighting ceremony.
As Chinese New Year festivities unfolded, the 2026 "Spring of Chinese Music" concert was staged on Saturday at the Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, known as Bozar, one of the Belgian capital's most prominent cultural venues.
Musicians from the Wuxi Chinese Orchestra presented a program blending tradition and innovation, introducing European audiences to the depth and vitality of Chinese folk music.
The concert opened with the lively "Spring Festival Overture" and featured works combining Chinese and Western musical elements. A joint performance of "Horse Racing" by Chinese and Belgian musicians brought the evening to a rousing finale, drawing sustained applause.
"It's a wonderful discovery for people who don't know much about Chinese music. Happy New Year to all the Chinese people in China and abroad," said Christ, a member of the audience.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Tuesday this year, and the official holiday season lasts nine days from February 15 to 23. The 2026 Chinese New Year is a Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.
Dream Wheel in New Jersey glows red, Brussels stages Chinese New Year concert
A galloping horses-themed dance performance at the phenomenal annual TV Spring Festival Gala in China on Monday visually enchanted hundreds of millions of viewers, bringing to life the traditional Chinese spirit of horses, thanks to its innovative choreography, which features a dancer flying in the air with highly skilled manned wire technique and spectacular stage group dancing.
The dance performance was led by a dancer dressed as a horse, while others danced with powerful movements amid drumbeats, presenting the horses' perseverance and free spirit, which channel raw power into an enduring spirit of progress. The dance echoed the Gala’s theme of "Galloping Steed, Onward Unstoppable" with elegance, strength, and vitality.
"This is an original dance from our CMG Spring Festival Gala. The inspiration for this dance actually comes from the imagery of fine horses that have existed in our Chinese culture for thousands of years. Using the concept of chasing the wind and shadows, we express our intrinsic Chinese spirit in the grand style of a male ensemble dance," said Wang Zhenbing, dance director of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
"We aimed to make the horse appear more vivid and powerful, capturing its feeling of chasing the wind and racing toward the sun. That’s why we chose to use a flying wire technique, which is the highlight of our performance. We tried to make the flying wire as inconspicuous as possible, adjusting it to the finest state while ensuring safety,” said Geng Zibo, dance choreographer of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.
With the support of the flying wire, leading male dancer Zhang Han transformed into a nimble white horse, with his movements sometimes as light as the wind and at other times bursting with explosive energy. Each perfect leap relies on the meticulous coordination and precise calibration among the performer, the wire operators, and other dancers.
"The biggest challenge with the flying wire is that we don’t use machines; we rely on skilled operators who must always coordinate closely. They need to adjust to any sudden changes in force or speed on-site,” said Geng.
"The biggest difficulty lies in the coordination between the wire operators, the other dancers, and me. For example, when I'm jumping, the operators need to know exactly when to pull, when the others need to catch me, and how to move me to the next position. This requires repeated practice and coordination,” said Zhang Han.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
Since first being broadcast in 1983, the Gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.
The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.
The 2026 Spring Festival falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.
Chinese Spring Festival Gala’s galloping-horse-themed dance features dancer flying in innovative choreography
