The “Happy Chinese New Year: 2015 Fantastic Art China New York Series of Events”, hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and undertaken by the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), will kick off on February 18, 2015. The events will consist of four parts, including a public art exhibition, a creative bazaar, an Empire State Building light installation and Chinese New Year fireworks, and will mainly take place at the Lincoln Center, the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History and the No.84 Wharf on the Hudson River, in front of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York. The world’s leading artists will be gathered together in cross-over cooperation, including the renowned composer Guan Xia, and renowned artists Xu Jiang, Xu Bing, Huang Jiancheng, Lv Shengzhong, Zhan Wang and Chen Wenling, to create a Chinese New Year atmosphere with unique contents.
The “Happy Chinese New Year: 2015 Fantastic Art China New York Series of Events” is the first appearance of the national image brand “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China”. The entire program, which tallies with the national cultural brand development strategy, will be a long-term ongoing event as an overseas cultural brand.
The Chinese New Year symbolizes reunion, prosperity and hope for the future, and it is the grandest and most special traditional festival of the Chinese nation. It has been loved and valued by compatriots both home and abroad. In the meantime, Chinese culture has a long history and is extensive and profound. With the wide spread of Chinese culture worldwide, more and more foreigners have become interested in the Chinese New Year, which contains rich traditional and cultural customs, and hope to learn Chinese culture by being a part of the festival.
Since the 2010 Chinese New Year, to better introduce the culture of the Chinese New Year to people all over the world, the Chinese Ministry of Culture, together with the relevant ministries, local cultural departments (bureaus) and overseas offices has launched a large cultural communication event called “Happy Chinese New Year”, which, through a great variety of forms and contents, invites people all over the world to celebrate the Chinese New Year, experience Chinese culture and jointly build a harmonious world. The overseas event “Happy Chinese New Year” has been successfully held for five years. The 2014 “Happy Chinese New Year” event had increased to 570 smaller programs and covered 112 countries and regions and 321 cities, with about 30 million foreigners and overseas Chinese participating.
The “Happy Chinese New Year: 2015 Fantastic Art China New York Series of Events”, as the first appearance of the national image brand “Happy Chinese New Year: Fantastic Art China”, has invited numerous contemporary artists. Besides the lighting set-up for the Chinese New Year light installation at the top of the Empire State Building, and the Chinese New Year fireworks over the Hudson River, the events also include a public art exhibition and a creative bazaar. At the public art exhibition, to be held in the Lincoln Center, New York, works from the renowned artists Xu Jiang, Lyu Shengzhong, Huang Jiancheng, Zhan Wang and Chen Wenling will be exhibited. The creative market, as a part of public art events, will display the awarded works from the Creative Cultural Products Competition for the “Happy Chinese New Year: 2015 Fantastic Art China New York Series of Events” and art derivatives of Happy Chinese New Year, “intangible cultural” products and traditional Chinese purchases for the Chinese New Year.
The events will kick off on February 18, 2015, the Chinese New Year’s Eve, and will last one week, until February 24, the 6th day of the Chinese New Year.