UK gets ready
Meanwhile, in the UK, the National Gallery in London, near the British capital's Chinatown, is preparing to celebrate Spring Festival on Sunday.
On the same day, hundreds of thousands of people are also expected to flock to annual celebrations in Chinatown, Trafalgar Square and the West End, which organizers claim are the largest outside Asia.
Zoe Bates, family and children's programmer for learning and national projects at the National Gallery, which is situated in Trafalgar Square, said, "Chinese New Year is an opportunity to celebrate the location of the gallery and its proximity to our surrounding neighborhood of Chinatown－positioning the gallery as a backdrop to and extension of the Trafalgar Square celebrations."
Over the past five years, the National Gallery has staged family events linked to Spring Festival, and it views these as an opportunity to attract new audiences, Bates said. This year, activities will feature Chinese-themed storytelling, dancing, papercutting and dumpling making.
In Greenwich, southeast London, the National Maritime Museum is celebrating Spring Festival for the 19th year. Visitors to the institute's Traders Gallery will learn of the struggles between Britain and China in the tea trade.
Georgina Sheehan, the museum's assistant press officer, said, "Celebrating Chinese New Year allows us to engage visitors with Chinese objects and stories within the collection and encourage local families to celebrate Chinese history and tradition."
Sheehan added that the celebratory event has become more popular, with families traveling across London to join in. This year, it will be staged on Saturday, when lion dances and performances by the Guizhou Song and Dance Ensemble will be presented. Visitors can take part in craft workshops, origami ratmaking and Chinese storytelling, while playing and learning about the history of mahjong.
An art workshop will be held aboard the tea clipper Cutty Sark, inspired by the vessel's voyages to China.
At the start of next month, traditional and contemporary performances to celebrate Spring Festival will be held at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in western England. Stalls will feature elements of Chinese culture, the institution's cafe will put on a special menu and Chinese goods will be on sale. Other activities will include rat-seeking games and workshops.
Karen Garvey, the museum's events engagements officer, said Spring Festival celebrations have been held at the institution since 2003. They have evolved from relatively small-scale activities into a huge event involving hundreds of performers, activity organizers and student volunteers.
She said audiences are becoming increasingly diverse, adding that in previous years, there had been many Chinese and Caucasian visitors, but now the event is also attracting people with Southeast Asian, African and Middle Eastern heritage.
Garvey said the celebration helps raise the museum's profile. "This year, the Mayor of Bristol and the Lord Mayor are planning to attend. Bristol is twinned with Guangzhou (capital of Guangdong province), so it makes it even more fitting that we celebrate Chinese New Year."
The celebrations at UK museums are part of a series of cultural events being staged nationwide to herald Spring Festival.
Sarah Wang, a manager at the Confucius Institute at the University of Aberdeen, said Spring Festival this year will be a unique and special occasion in Scotland. It falls on Jan 25, when Burns Night, the traditional celebration for Scottish poet Robert Burns is held. She said the two celebrations have not coincided for more than 70 years.
This year, the institute's Chinese New Year Gala will have a Scottish theme, including a Burns poetry recital in English and Mandarin, a Chinese boy playing the bagpipes and a performance of Burns' song Auld Lang Syne in English and Mandarin, Wang said.
Meanwhile, in the past year, China and the UK saw closer cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
According to data provided by Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, for a China Daily article published on Jan 6, some 168 flights operated between the two countries every week last year. As a result, China has become an important source of tourists visiting the UK.
Felicity Miller, a mother of four living in the UK, said her family celebrates Spring Festival every year. Her children are half-Chinese, so she feels that it is important they can learn about China even though they don't live in the country.
She has seen growing interest in the festivities in the UK in recent years. "Many British families ask me for tips on how they can get involved," Miller said.
Teresa Liufrom Los Angeles contributed to this story.
