The largest Chinese lantern festival in US history, Lights of the World, kicked off on Friday in the capital of Arizona to boost Sino-US cultural ties.

The event lasting until Jan 29 and running through four of the most important holidays - Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival - is expected to attract more than half a million local residents, says Song Yang, vice-chairman of the US-China Cultural and Educational Foundation.

"It is also a good opportunity for Americans to get to know more about Chinese folk art," he says, adding that culture is a means for people to exchange different ideas and understand each other.