US Chinatown celebrates Year of Horse

People watch lion dancing during an event celebrating the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year at Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C., the United States, Jan 25, 2014. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

With the approach of China's Lunar New Year, the Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted an early celebration to welcome the Year of the Horse. The museum is located in the heart of Washington, DC's, Chinatown, and it threw open its doors for an all-day family festival.

Inside the glass-covered courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum the best of Chinese culture is on display.

The chance to learn something new.

But nothing enchanted the children more.

Than the "Lion Dance"

Students from Johns Hopkins University in nearby Baltimore learned the tradition from master teachers.

The lions are sleeping when the performance begins. China's ambassador to the United States helped to dot the eyes, awakening the animals for the new year.Washington's Chinatown used to be a small neighborhood with a tight-knit Chinese community.

The community is more spread-out these days,but a desire to preserve the language, and the heritage remains.