Max Baucus, the US ambassador to China, expressed New Year greetings to the Chinese people in a short video on Tuesday, four days before the Spring Festival.

"Xin Chun Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Happy Spring Festival. May you be prosperous,)" said Baucus and his wife Melodee Hanes, which are traditional New Year wishes in China.

Hanes was dressed in red clothes and Baucus wore a red tie.

It's their second Chinese New Year in Beijing. Hanes said that they love to see all the festive red lanterns and firework displays as part of the holiday, and that people reunite with their families during the festival.

"We have enjoyed great adventures in this past year in China," said Hanes.

In the video, Baucus tried a hair cut in a traditional barbershop, took a train trip over night between Tibet and west China's Qinghai province, and visited the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an with Hanes.

Baucus and his wife traveled around China in 2015, learning elephant conservation efforts in south China's Yunnan province, celebrating the legacy of the Flying Tigers in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province and supporting sea turtle conservation in south China's Hainan province.

"As we head into this New Year, I've got to tell you, I'm so optimistic about the future," said Baucus.