[Photo/Xinhua]

"I started to take notice of Chinese contemporary art about two years ago after visiting several universities in Beijing," Ellen Fisher, dean of New York School of Interior Design, told Xinhua.

Noting a shift in today's China art, she said: "I think Chinese, especially Chinese young people, are very sophisticated" as they can think things from a global perspective rather than the parochial view.

Recent years, especially after 2008, have seen an increase in both quantity and quality of cultural programs coming into the United States, said Zhou, who has been working to bring in Chinese cultural events into the world's largest economy.

Exposure to the Western culture gives young Chinese artists an advantage in resonating with their western audience, she said.

Meanwhile, observers said, China's rise on the world stage also helps extend the global reach of the Chinese New Year festival.

Addressing the crowds ahead of a fabulous fireworks over the Hudson River which drew thousands of people to the pier, Consul General Ambassador Zhang said: "It (The celebration) is a reflection of the dynamic growth of our bilateral relations."

"The China-US relationship has become one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. China is also already the largest trading partner of the United States," Zhang said.

According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, up to 35 million people of Chinese origin now live overseas, making it the largest migrant group in the world. In New York City, Chinese immigrants are now the second largest foreign-born group and soon to overtake Dominicans for the top spot.