A Chinese national flag was raised Wednesday in New York's financial district, beside the world-famous Charging Bull in Wall Street, to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The flag-raising ceremony, hosted by the Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA), was attended by U.S. and Chinese officials, business executives, community leaders and students from all backgrounds, aiming at celebrating the friendship and promoting communications and mutual understandings between the two countries.

"We hope the U.S.-China friendship will grow as the meaning of the Charging Bull, optimism and prosperity," Peter Zhang, president of the SAFA, said at the ceremony.