Dancers from the Plymouth Dancing Club perform on Jan 12 in San Francisco Chinatown to celebrate the introduction of a new California senate bill, SB 892, designating Lunar New Year as a day of special signifi cance in California.Lia Zhu / China Daily

First lady of Maryland Yumi Hogan (center) presents a proclamation for Asian Lunar New Year Day to Hang Lu (left), president of the Chinese Alumni Associations of Greater Washington, at a New Year’s gala in Gaithersburg on Jan 6. Provided to China Daily

Kerry Holahan, a soprano who can speak Chinese, sings a famous yet challenging Chinese song, Ode to the Red Plum Blossom, in Mandarin at a New Year’s gala sponsored by the Chinese Alumni Associations of Greater Washington in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Jan 6. Holahan received a degree in China studies at Wesleyan University. Lu Qiang / For China Daily

Chen Feng (left), co-founder and chairman of HNA group, represents the company to receive the Brand of the Year award at the China General Chamber of Commerce Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dog Gala on Wednesday evening in New York. Stephan A. Schwarzman (right), chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, received the Goodwill Ambassador for China-US Exchange award at the event. Judy Zhu / China Daily