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BELGRADE, Feb. 4-- The Chinese Year of the Pig was welcomed here Monday, with the opening of the Chinese Festival of Lights event in the Serbian capital. The light exhibition that takes place from Feb. 4 to 24 at the historic Kalemegdan fortress in downtown Belgrade brought colorful light sculptures designed by Chinese artists and built by a well-known Chinese company from Sichuan province, depicting motives from Chinese folklore, animals, flowers and buildings. The opening ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic, Minister of Culture and Information Vladan Vukosavljevic, Belgrade Mayor Zoran Radojicic and the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo. Serbian musician and founder of the group Balkanopolis Slobodan Trkulja said at the ceremony that the manifestation will "contribute to even stronger ties between peoples of the two countries, which are connected by traditional friendship." "Disregarding the distance between our countries, tonight here in Kalemegdan we celebrate the Chinese New Year with our brothers from China, in the same light and the same joy," Trkulja said. Vukosavljevic reminded that the "Year of the Pig in symbolic sense is related to progress and prosperity, good opportunities and business success". "I wish to our Chinese friends as well as to ourselves that the beautiful symbolic nature of this sign comes true in the year that has already begun for us," he said. | 
