Chinese Week Culture and Cuisine Festival Held in Arizona

Over 20,000 local residents experienced the sights, sounds, and tastes of the 34th Phoenix Chinese Week Culture and Cuisine Festival in the capital city of Arizona.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego dotted the lion's eyes, marking the official opening of the two-day traditional annual event organized to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 3. The lion was used for the lion dance.

The celebration has been held since January 1991.

"I am very honored to be invited to attend this event...and pay tribute to our sister city Chengdu, celebrating our deep relationship with Chengdu," she said. "Our friendship reflects the good cooperation over the years. Chinese culture is part of multiculturalism, which makes Phoenix a great global city."

The festival featured continuous live entertainment, including performances of dragon and lion dances, folk dances, Chinese music, tai chi, and martial arts. Nearly 200 artists from local art groups and Chengdu, China, showed up on February 4.

Thousands of local residents also enjoyed a variety of delicious Asian foods and participated in many hands-on activities at the event, such as a chopstick challenge, taking selfies in traditional Chinese costumes, playing mahjong, and learning how to use an abacus.

Moreover, this annual event as a kick off to the Lunar New Year in Phoenix, a city with about 30,000 Chinese residents, has become an iconic cultural event for the Grand Canyon State.

"Phoenix Chinese Week continually strives to provide quality opportunities for cultural awareness, education, and exchange," the Arizona Office of Tourism said on its official website.