Chinese New Year is celebrated in Wales

A Chinese unicorn dance took place at the Wales Millennium Centre

The Chinese community in Wales joined a weekend of celebrations at the start of the Chinese New Year.

Lion dances, street dancing and Chinese and Western performances were all organised to see in the Year of the Lucky Tiger.

The Chinese New Year started on Sunday, which also gives couples the chance for a Valentine's Day celebration with a difference.

The event is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre held a Chinese New Year Festival on Sunday, including a fair between midday and 1600 GMT and a concert of Chinese music at 2000 GMT.

Chinese medicine, massage, acupuncture, calligraphy, Chinese food, green tea, tai chi demonstrations, kung fu, traditional Chinese craft, a painting exhibition and poetry recitals were among the attractions.

At the evening concert - promised by the centre to be an "elegant treat" for couples celebrating Valentine's Day - a group of visiting musicians will perform a selection of romantic Chinese and western masterpieces.

These selected pieces, with a range of stylish compositions, offer an alluring introduction to Chinese music Liu Li, concert director

Concert director Liu Li said: "The best of Chinese music is still largely undiscovered, though Chinese cuisine, circus and kung fu are widely recognised.

"These selected pieces, with a range of stylish compositions, offer an alluring introduction to Chinese music."

The same group of musicians will also perform at the Swansea Grand Theatre on Thursday.

Lion dance

The University of Glamorgan's Chinese Student Society held a gala evening in the university's Atrium building, Cardiff, on Saturday.

It started with a guest reception in the Zen Room at 1715 GMT, followed by a stage performance.

Chinese and Western culture were brought together in the form of Chinese and Irish dancing, a lion dance, Auld Lang Syne and performances by Chinese students on the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument.

Jie Sun, the organiser and president of the Chinese Student Society, said: "It is a very exciting event and it will be one of the best Chinese New Year events in Cardiff."

A team of talented martial arts, tai chi and dance performers from Heilongjiang University in the north east of China were performing at celebrations in Lampeter on Saturday.

The performance were held in the Arts Hall of the University of Wales, Lampeter (1930 GMT). The students involved, who have won international awards, are all training to be doctors in China.

A free festival was also held on Sunday on the Glanfa stage in the foyer of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

Held between midday and 4pm, there was lion dancing, martial arts, kite exhibitions, arts workshops and music.