Fireworks in celebration of the Spring Festival illuminate the sky over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on Feb 11, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

HONG KONG - After a four-year hiatus since 2020, a Lunar New Year fireworks display once again lit up the night sky of Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong Sunday.

The 2024 Lunar New Year Fireworks Display was held at 8 pm local time (1200 GMT), the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, over Victoria Harbor to celebrate the festive season.

The fireworks display was coordinated by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and sponsored by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association.

The theme for this year's fireworks display was "All trades thrive in the Dragon's Year, and China stands strong in the prosperous era." A total of 23,888 pyrotechnic shells were fired from three barges in the 23-minute extravaganza divided into eight scenes.

Both sides of the harbor including Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai were crowded with people watching fireworks. In some vantage points, people had been waiting hours before the fireworks display began

Tam Kam-kau, chairman of the Hong Kong Celebrations Association, said that this year's eight fireworks featured special designs to send New Year greetings to the people of Hong Kong and tourists, and wish Hong Kong steady progress on the new journey from stability to prosperity.

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The opening scene, entitled "The Year of the Dragon", started off with a magnificent showcase of silver lightning and thunder to usher in the new year. The second scene featured the lucky number "8" in different forms and colors that symbolize wealth and abundance. "Five-colored cosmic balls," introduced for the first time, signified the boundless sky and earth, wishing people a bright future with endless possibilities.

Fireworks in celebration of the Spring Festival illuminate the sky over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on Feb 11, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

In the sixth scene, fireworks of "smiling faces" and "double red hearts" were launched in the hope that people will find beauty in life with a positive, enthusiastic attitude. The final scene "Harvest Drums" brought the event to its climax as fireworks of "mega-sized brocade crowns" were discharged intensively to wish Hong Kong prosperity and peace in the year to come.

Both sides of the harbor including Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai were crowded with people watching fireworks. In some vantage points, people had been waiting hours before the fireworks display began.

"This is the most beautiful ever! It's so rich in color!" Hong Kong resident surnamed Cheung said, adding this year's Lunar New Year fireworks display was especially gorgeous when compared with those in the past.

READ MORE: Lunar New Year parade returns to Hong Kong after 5-year break

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks during a ceremony held by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association ahead of the fireworks display, in Hong Kong on Feb 11, 2024. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Zheng Yanxiong (fourth left), HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (center) and his wife Janet Lee Lam Lai-sim (fourth right), together with other guests, attend a ceremony for the Lunar New Year Fireworks Display Gala Dinner 2024, in Hong Kong on Feb 11, 2024. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

Speaking at a ceremony held by the Hong Kong Celebrations Association ahead of the fireworks display, John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of the HKSAR, said that the dragon represents auspiciousness and vitality. 

He is confident that Hong Kong will flourish in the Year of the Dragon, grasp the unique advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems", shine in the international arena, and create a more prosperous future.