By Staff Reporter
Beverly Hills—With gala arts performance at the historical Saban Theatre today, the City of Beverly Hills rang in the 2020 Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac.
The variety show, titled “Happy Chinese New Year, Charming Jing-Jin-Ji”, featured world class artists from Beijing, the capital of China, and its surrounding neighbors Tianjin and Hebei.
Local officials, business elites and community leaders were amazed by the fascinating Chinese martial arts, folk dance, traditional music, Peking opera and Hebei opera.
For nine years in a row the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau has been hosting the Chinese New Year celebration, which serves as a platform for cultural exchanges between Beverly Hills and its partners in China.
China has become one of the top international inbound tourist markets for the State of California and the United States as a whole. According to Discover Los Angeles, Los Angeles County welcomes 1.2 million Chinese visitors annually, who account for 29.7% of all international spending in the county with 3.3 billion in direct spend.
Concurrently held with the arts performance were the cultural heritage crafts display and demonstration, and a photo exhibition introducing Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
