Inside Avery Fisher Hall the air was full of festive atmosphere. The interior of the hall was lit up in festive red lighting and Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling.

Opening the concert was Li Huanzhi's "Spring Festival Overture," described by The New York Times as energetic and a "folky idiom halfway between Dvorak and Rimsky-Korsakov." The opener was a repeat of the 2014 performance, but still felt fresh to the audience. Other featured works include "In Praise of Cattle" sung by Lei Jia and "Fantasy on Maqam Themes," by Gulinaer Yiming on the fiddle-like ghijak.

The audience was a decidedly mixed blend of Chinese, Chinese-American and Caucasian, and Shirley Young, Chair of the U.S.-China Cultural Institute, said she was happy to see more and more local New Yorkers attend the performance and appreciate Chinese culture. Also in attendance were UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson, International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu and former World Bank President James Wolfenshon.

The grand finale of the performance was the impressive "Duo for Sheng, Cello and Orchestra" which was an audience favorite. The piece was written for the cellist Yo-Yo Ma by Zhao Lin and brings together Ma and Wu Tong for a contrasting, emotional duet. Zhao Lin is a rising star in Chinese film compositions, taking up the reins from his father Zhao Jiping, who wrote the music for the blockbuster films Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell.

This concert work is crafted to bridge the worlds of Chinese and Western musical styles, the composer said he was inspired by the Chinese legend about a monk who undertakes a long journey to acquire a Buddhist scripture.

Fantastic art China

The festivities of the Lunar New Year, including the fireworks show, were sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) as part of an all-encompassing artistic celebration called "Fantastic Art China." The weeklong show aimed to create a carnival atmosphere against the backdrop of economic globalization and cultural exchange.

"Chinese New Year was always a very exciting event downtown with the dragon dances and the fireworks. But in the recent years it has moved uptown and to the Lincoln Center. This year, Chinese New Year has become even more important and Fantastic Art China is a part of that," said Shirley Young. "We bring the best of Chinese art to American audiences in partnership with the major cultural institutions of New York City."

Professor Yu Ding, Dean of Arts Administration and Education Institute at CAFA and President of Fantastic Art China, said the academy, as China's top art institution, not only cultivates great artists and designers, but also participates in and curates global artistic initiatives and "encourages cultural conversations."

"We know by heart that art knows no boundaries, and art is the universal language of mankind," Yu said.

The theme of "Harmony" was selected because it is an idea traditionally associated with the Chinese New Year and that organizers hope "to bring New Yorkers and visitors from around the world a week of joy and happiness." To give locals a direct chance to experience the joy of the Lunar New Year, CAFA organized a Chinese Public Art Exhibition and Creative Bazaar near Lincoln Center. Six contemporary Chinese artists were selected to present their artwork.

"As we enter the new century, Chinese contemporary art has become highly globalized. Quite a number of Chinese contemporary artists have been closely connected to the worldwide art industry. 'Out of the studio, into the public space' has become a trend for contemporary Chinese art. Many painters and sculptors have come up with their own way to engage in conversation and cooperation with the public space," Yu said.

Featured artists include MacArthur Award winner Xu Bing, who was recently honored with the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts, with a video work entitled The Character of Characters. Zhan Wang, an artist who uses stainless steel renditions of prized Taihu stones to promote the idea of harmony showed his work--the first Chinese contemporary sculptor to be featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Huang Jianchen, Vice Dean at the School for Urban Design, presents an animation of an ancient and well-known scroll from the Song Dynasty.

In addition to the artwork, Lu Shengzhong presented a "Creativity Bazaar" which served as a real market of Chinese handicrafts and a contemporary art piece. The festive spirit of the bazaar evoked the temple fairs that spring up around China during the New Year holiday.

The lunar new year celebrations continued uptown, with the New York Historical Society presenting a series of family programs centered around its exhibition "Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion." The center offered children and families the chance to experience traditional paper cutting and lion dances, said Alice Stevenson, Director of the DiMenna Children's History Museum.

"Many New Yorkers are familiar with what we share and for others it is brand new. We are dedicated to telling the story of America through the lens of New York," Stevenson said.

The author is a contributing writer to Beijing Review, living in New York City. Shen Anqi contributed to this story