World landmarks shine red to celebrate Chinese New Year

From New York's Empire State Building to London's Eye, landmarks across the globe are lighting up in red to welcome the Chinese New Year.

The Empire State Building and the One World Trade Center, two of the iconic landmark buildings in New York City, shone red on Tuesday night in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The Empire State Building has done so to celebrate the Chinese New Year for the 25th consecutive year.

On Tuesday morning, China's Consul General in New York Chen Li and Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory, jointly unveiled a window exhibition at the Fifth Avenue lobby in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

"We are delighted to see the Empire State Building serve as a bridge for American friends to better understand the Chinese culture, which highlights the importance of people-to-people exchanges in promoting friendship between our two countries," said Chen.

Chen noted more Americans visited China under the 10-day visa-free transit policy and giant pandas returned to the United States last year, which saw encouraging progress in the ties between the two peoples.

The window exhibition will run for a few weeks and the One World Trade Center will continue to shine red in the next two days.

Also known as the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year of 2025 falls on Wednesday and 2025 is the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese New Year became a public school holiday in New York State in 2023.

Elsewhere in the world, Britain's iconic London Eye shone in radiant gold and red on Tuesday evening, the eve of Spring Festival.

The dazzling display lit up London's skyline, drawing a large crowd of locals and tourists to the South Bank of the River Thames, under a signature London drizzle.

The annual lighting-up ceremony, jointly organized by the London Chinatown Chinese Association and the London Eye, has become a highlight of the city's Chinese New Year celebrations, showcasing a blend of tradition and modernity.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, a traditional dragon and lion dance performance graced the iconic Ferris wheel, captivating audiences with its energy and vibrancy.

Serbia rang in the Year of the Snake with a dazzling array of fireworks, lion dances, light sculptures and Chinese delicacies, drawing hundreds of people to the Belgrade Waterfront.

This year's festivities, held for the seventh consecutive year in the Serbian capital, attracted a large crowd of both Chinese and Serbian attendees.

The celebration featured a vibrant mix of traditional performances and cultural exhibitions and underscored the strong ties between the two countries.

The evening culminated in a spectacular countdown, followed by a fireworks display that illuminated the night sky, marking the arrival of the new year in the lunar calendar.

Adding to the festive atmosphere, the iconic Belgrade Tower was lit with a New Year greeting in both English and Chinese, along with an animation of the Wood Snake -- a symbol of wisdom, agility and strength.

As part of the broader Spring Festival celebrations in Serbia, the Chinese Light Festival will continue throughout the Chinese New Year period, offering free admission to visitors at Sava Promenade in Belgrade and Liman Park in Novi Sad. The festival features an array of illuminated sculptures and installations.

At Liman Park, highlights include the debut of the "Tree of Life," a majestic 6-meter-tall lantern sculpture, and the "Garden of Heavenly Flowers" surrounded by two romantic swans, along with a panda family and other enchanting attractions.

In Belgrade, visitors can admire displays such as the "12 Zodiac Drummers," "Chinese Musicians," the 12-meter-long "Ancient Phoenix Bird," and the impressive "Flower Fairy" statue standing over six meters tall at the end of the promenade.

This year's Spring Festival celebrations span six Serbian cities, namely Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Smederevo, Bor and Zrenjanin, with more than a dozen cultural events planned throughout the Chinese New Year period.