Feature: Chinese cultural elements shine as Southern California embraces Lunar New Year

Rabbit-themed decorations are seen in South Coast Plaza, Orange County, California, the United States, on Jan. 19, 2023. Located in Costa Mesa in Southern California, the largest shopping mall on the West Coast of the United States has created a stunning display of Chinese tradition and culture to embrace the Year of the Rabbit, featuring lion dances, exhibits, craft activities and special foods designed to honor Chinese and other Asian traditions. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- A 15-feet-tall rabbit showered by hundreds of lucky lanterns and whimsical hanging orbs sits on top of a garden full of gold coins and ingots at the center of South Coast Plaza, signifying the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year, good luck and prosperity.

Located in Costa Mesa in Southern California, the largest shopping mall on the West Coast of the United States has created a stunning display of Chinese tradition and culture to embrace the Year of the Rabbit, featuring lion dances, exhibits, craft activities and special foods designed to honor Chinese and other Asian traditions.

The Lunar New Year for 2023, which is based on the lunar calendar and falls on Sunday, Jan. 22, marks the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, a gentle, beloved animal that is regarded as the luckiest on the Chinese zodiac.

Now in its 11th year, South Coast Plaza's Lunar New Year festivities are the largest and most extensive of any retail center on the West Coast, drawing visitors from all over California and other parts of the country.

"We are pulling out a full effort to celebrate the Lunar New Year starting this week all the way through the Lantern Festival (on Feb. 5)," Preston Antonini, vice president and general manager of Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza, told Xinhua.

"Every year we celebrate the Lunar New Year," he said, adding that about 40 percent of Bloomingdale's business comes from local Asian customers.

Special arrangements for this year's Lunar New Year celebration include lion dances, giving out red envelopes, offering Chinese cuisine, and setting up a bunny petting zoo for kids, Antonini told Xinhua.

A series of LIULI artwork collections featuring flowers, plants, animals and zodiac attracted lots of visitors.

"LIULI" in Chinese refers to a crafting technique used in ancient Chinese crystal glass. The unique crystalline glass reacts to light, reflecting a multifaceted contrast of light and shadow.

Infused with color, the collections of LIULI Crystal Art at Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza embody Chinese culture and spirit, and create a vivid and elegant experience of joy and love.

"Each one-of-a-kind creation has its own story. Each piece of LIULI artwork comes with a dedicated poem, telling its unique story, imparting a blessing, and connecting the viewer with the heart of the artist," Lily Yeh, general manager at LIULI Crystal Art USA, told Xinhua.

"We hope to showcase the charm of Chinese art, and help foreign customers to understand Chinese culture through the poems and stories of artworks," she said.

Soha Elrafie, a resident from Chino Hills, California, showed great interest in a crystal fish sculpture featuring a school of nine carp fish swimming upward to leap over Dragon's Gate.

"I like the colors that fade through the sculpture, full of detail and intricacy," Elrafie told Xinhua. She said she hopes to place a LIULI artwork at her home, representing Chinese culture.

Across California, residents of all races are embracing the Year of the Rabbit with joy, participating in cultural performances, crafts, and activities.

And for the first time in California's history, the Lunar New Year is an official state holiday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill last year declaring the Lunar New Year to be a state holiday, as a way to "acknowledge the diversity and cultural significance Asian Americans bring to California." 

Rabbit-themed decorations are seen in South Coast Plaza, Orange County, California, the United States, on Jan. 19, 2023. Located in Costa Mesa in Southern California, the largest shopping mall on the West Coast of the United States has created a stunning display of Chinese tradition and culture to embrace the Year of the Rabbit, featuring lion dances, exhibits, craft activities and special foods designed to honor Chinese and other Asian traditions. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

Rabbit-themed decorations are seen in South Coast Plaza, Orange County, California, the United States, on Jan. 19, 2023. Located in Costa Mesa in Southern California, the largest shopping mall on the West Coast of the United States has created a stunning display of Chinese tradition and culture to embrace the Year of the Rabbit, featuring lion dances, exhibits, craft activities and special foods designed to honor Chinese and other Asian traditions. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)