BANGKOK -- The opening ceremony of the Happy Chinese New Year celebration were held here in Yaowarat, or the Chinatown, on Friday afternoon, the first day of the Chinese year.

Thailand's Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening ceremony while Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Chinese Vice Minister of Culture Yang Zhigang, Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian attended the ceremony.

Yang, representing the Chinese government, gave a new year gift to Princess Sirindhorn during the ceremony.

The Happy Chinese New Year celebration is a important platform to promote exchange between our two peoples and to strengthen the notion that "China and Thailand are one family," said Ambassador Lyu.

The celebration events will last until March 6.

The Ministry of Culture picked some 370 artists, 21 cultural delegations to perfrom in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Phuket, Nakhon Sawan and Udon Thani provinces to celebrate to new year with Thai people.

Ahead of the opening ceremony, Yang and Weerasak kowsurat, Thai minister of tourism and sports, sent their best wished to both peoples on the new year's eve.

On Sunday, a grand Chinese gastronomy event will be held in Nakhon Sawan province as part of the celebration to bring Chinese food created by 18 chefs that cooked for G20 state dinner in Hangzhou.