SAN FRANCISCO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco Friday celebrated Mother's Day, gathering hundreds of Chinese and U.S. women entrepreneurs, scientists, scholars as well as diplomats and their female family members to pay respect to each and every mother and woman.

The celebration featured dances with ancient Chinese costumes, Peking Opera episodes, modern songs, Chinese folk songs by a child chorus, and a violin solo accompanied by piano.

One of the women guests, Sharon Shoemaker, said the event was a fantastic experience which will deepen friendly ties between Chinese and U.S. women.

"It's wonderful to be here on Mother's Day and to have this opportunity to celebrate the special moment at the Chinese Consulate General," said Shoemaker, executive director of California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).

She said her family has close connections with China and it was fabulous to celebrate the special day at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco.

"I've been going to China since 1985 and on Mother's Day, what's really special for me is that my two sons now go to China regularly with their jobs because my husband and I have introduced them to China," Shoemaker said.

The woman scholar said she has spent a lot of time with her husband in a Chinese university and has been to many other places in China.

"We have so many exchanges back and forth," she said.

Ruihong Zhang, professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at UC Davis, was also excited about the event, which gave her a special feeling for the motherland.

"For many overseas Chinese like me who have lived in a foreign country for a lot of years, this special moment evoked their special feelings for the motherland," Zhang said.

"We are grateful to both China, where we were born, and the United States, our residing country where we made our careers," she said.

The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco has for many years hosted celebrations on Mother's Day, which falls on the second Sunday of May.