CHICAGO, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The tune of "Butterfly Lover's Concerto" echoed in the hall of St. Barbara Catholic Church in south Chicago, drawing applauses from Chinese and Americans alike.

Chicago is the first city in the U.S. to launch Chinese New Year celebration in the name of city government, and 2018 will be the fifth year for the City of Chicago to mark Chinese New Year.

Chicago's Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra staged a Chinese New Year Concert here Friday night, giving the audience a taste of a variety of Chinese music,"Chinese Sights and Sounds" composed by Bao Yuankai; Chinese folk music including "Little Cabbage","Jasmine", "Song of Riddles","Green Willow" and "Going to West Gate"; and the "Fantasy for Violin and Piano with String Orchestra" composed by Yang Gongqian on the basis of "Kangding Love Song".

This is the second year for Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra to stage a concert celebrating Chinese New Year, and also a prelude to a number of activities the City of Chicago will hold to mark Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog 2018.

On Feb. 16, a ceremony will be held at Chicago Cultural Center to kick off the Year of the Dog with a festive display of Chinese dance, music, and martial arts. On the following day, the Chongqing Chuanju Opera Theatre from China will present the dazzling costumes and acrobatic choreography of traditional Chinese opera at Chicago Symphony Center.

As a celebration, Art Institute of Chicago will open an exhibition titled "Mirroring China's Past: Emperors and their Bronzes" between Feb. 25 and May 13, and the objects to be exhibited are Chinese bronzes of the second and first millennia BC, created through a unique method of clay models and piece molds.

Some department stores in Chicago, say the Fashion Outlets of Chicago and the Bloomingdale's, will offer customers discounts as well as "Red Envelopes" in their celebration of the Year of the Dog.

Chicago has paid much attention to obtain Chinese investment and attract more Chinese tourists. There is a huge potential to expand the market.

Thanks to all efforts made, total domestic and oversea visitors to Chicago reached 53.91 million in 2016, an increase of 2.5 percent from record 52.59 million in 2015. To be specific, domestic visitation was a record 52.35 million, an increase of 2.7 percent from 2015; overseas visitation was estimated at 1.466 million, according to statistics provided by Choose Chicago.