Xie Liping, master of peony painting, picks up a brush for the visitors at the opening ceremony of the 12th Nagoya Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration, Jan 6, 2018. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

The annual event, which began in 2007, has developed into an important platform for local people to learn more about Chinese culture and promote mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between Japan and China.

Happy Chinese New Year is a worldwide activity for celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year, hosted by China's Ministry of Culture and other Chinese authorities since 2009. It seeks to provide a global platform that is joyful, harmonious and accessible to all, to encourage people across the world to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, experience the profound yet interesting Chinese culture and understand the huge achievements China has made. This year, over 2,100 cultural activities will be held in over 400 cities across more than 140 countries and regions worldwide.