With the Year of Horse starting Friday for the Chinese people, the iconic Empire State Building in New York City will be lit in red and gold lights, simulating Chinese New Year fireworks for two nights.

"The lights on the Empire State Building not only carry the spirit of peace, hope, cooperation and happiness, but also symbolize the everlasting friendship between our two peoples," said Sun Guoxiang, Ambassador and Consul General of China in New York.

"This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US. We are very happy to see our relationship has become broader and deeper," he said, mentioning there are increasing numbers of people traveling between the two countries for business and leisure, as well as academic and cultural exchanges.

Jean-Yvef Ghazi, director of the Empire State Building Observatory, believes that in the coming years, interaction between the US and China will keep increasing.

"Back in 1979, only several thousand Chinese and Americans visited each other's countries, we expect the Chinese market to become one of the leading inbound markets to the United States by 2020," Ghazi said.

"At the Empire State Building alone, we are delighted to be hosting over a quarter of a million Chinese visitors every year," he added.

Ghazi also described the symbolic meaning of the horse for the Chinese people, as 2014 will be the Year of Horse according to Chinese Zodiac Calendar.

"In China, the horse is associated with nature. It is believed to have the power of bringing good luck and new adventures to people's lives," he said.

"In Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of nobility, speed and perseverance," Sun added, pointing out that for the Chinese it is a lucky year to do more business and have babies.

In addition to lighting up in dynamic red and gold colors to salute the Chinese New Year, the Empire State Building has also decorated its lobby windows with festive Chinese cultural exhibits.

One window features five porcelain horse sculptures made by Chinese musician and artist Guo Feng.

"I spent the past two years studying how to make Chinese porcelain sculptures and create these horses," Guo said. "It just so happened that the coming year was the Year of Horse, which gave me the opportunity to showcase my works here.

"I have made them based on a traditional art and craft with more than a thousand years of history, but I have given the design a modern touch to enliven the traditional art," added Guo, referring to the colorful textures of the sculptures.

Guo, 51, is known for writing the song "Let the World Fill with Love", which was dedicated to the International Year of Peace in 1986. He said that although singing and songwriting are still his full-time profession, he will spend more time on sculpture and oil painting in the future.

The other windows are designed by young artists from Beijing, featuring a kaleidoscope of images and artwork illustrating a poem written nearly 1,000 years ago about the Chinese New Year holidays.

"For a brief moment the festival atmosphere made us feel as if we were back in Beijing, celebrating our traditional Spring Festival among family and friends," Sun said describing the moment he and his wife first saw the Chinese New Year window displays.

This marks the 14th year the Empire State Building has been lit up for the Chinese New Year. The lights will turn on when night falls on Jan 30, the last day of the Year of Snake, and Jan 31, the first day of the Year of Horse.

Between 6 pm and 7 pm Sunday, the lights will switch to pay tribute to the teams competing in the Super Bowl across the river in New Jersey, then resume for the Chinese New Year until 2 am.

Zhang Yang contributed to this story and can be reached at

yangzhang@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 01/30/2014 page1)