Landmarks light up for Spring Festival

Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa tower was lit up on Wednesday and Thursday, in celebration of Spring Festival, attracting thousands of tourists from around the world to participate in China's largest annual celebration.

Among the visitors bathed in Chinese red below the world's tallest building was Mark Brennan from Ireland, who was on vacation in the United Arab Emirates.

"The light show was excellent. It offered a chance to know more about Chinese culture," Brennan said.

"Spring Festival is very similar to our Christmas, with the theme of family reunion. Our emotions and spirits are always connected," he said, adding that his nephew lives in China and is married to a Chinese woman. "Although I have never been to China, I have experienced the atmosphere of Chinese New Year in Dubai and my hometown. I hope I can go to China in the future and experience it for myself."

During this year's festival, many towers and skyscrapers worldwide have been illuminated with red lights in response to an invitation from the city of Shanghai to commemorate the first Spring Festival since UNESCO listed the celebration as a World Cultural Heritage.

The initiative was given a warm welcome by the World Federation of Great Towers, and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Skyscrapers and landmark buildings in locations including New York, Chicago and Dallas in the United States, Vancouver in Canada, Singapore, Tokyo in Japan, Dubai, Barcelona in Spain, and Bucharest in Romania have all taken part. Some of these locations have also hosted special activities to celebrate the festival.

Two iconic landmarks in Shanghai, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Shanghai Tower, took the lead in lighting up in Chinese red on Jan 28, the day before Chinese New Year.

As the third tallest building in the world, Shanghai Tower has been adorned with red lanterns and ribbons. Its spire displays scrolling greetings such as "Happy Spring Festival" and "The World Lights Up in Chinese Red" in both Chinese and English.

In collaboration with the skyscraper cluster in Lujiazui, Pudong New Area, the two landmarks will glow red until Feb 4.

On the same day, the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore was also lit up in Chinese red and will continue to do so until Lantern Festival on Feb 12.

Tokyo Tower was also lit up in red on Chinese New Year's Eve, with 2025 balloons featuring giant pandas and Japanese anime characters released to symbolize the global community's hopeful expectations for the new year.

The Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, two iconic landmark buildings in New York City, also shone red on the evening of Jan 28. The Empire State Building has done so to celebrate Chinese New Year for the past 25 years.

"We are delighted to see the Empire State Building serve as a bridge for American friends to better understand Chinese culture, which highlights the importance of people-to-people exchanges in promoting friendship between our two countries," said China's Consul General in New York Chen Li. He made the remarks while jointly unveiling an exhibition with Jean-Yves Ghazi, president of the Empire State Building Observatory, at the Fifth Avenue lobby to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

The window exhibition displays exhibits related to the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac, and will run for a few weeks.

Other famous landmarks were also illuminated in Chinese red to celebrate Spring Festival, including Niagara Falls in Canada, the London Eye in the United Kingdom, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, and the Winter Palace in Russia.

"As overseas Chinese, we are proud to see our culture win world recognition," said Xu Xiaofeng, a Chinese resident of Dubai. "I have been in Dubai for five years, but this kind of show and celebration was a first for me. I am glad to see this show that reminded me of my home country. It shows the strength and cultural cohesion of our motherland."

Mingmei Li in New York contributed to this story.