HOUSTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Texas International Lunar Festival was held Saturday in Houston in southern U.S., with local groups and visitors from China and other races being participated.

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the festival organized by Southern News Group in Houston. In the celebrations, activities such as Chinese calligraphy, dragon and lion dances, and Chinese food were enjoyed by children and their families.

Houston city council member Michael Kubosh took part in the Chinese Lunar New Year festival for more than once in the past. He said the friendly relationship between Houston and China would benefit the world.

"As the largest population in the world, Chinese have so much to offer for the city of Houston to be able to do business. It's all about making friends and building a better world for us all," he told Xinhua.

Kubosh believed people-to-people exchange is the effective way to build up trust between different cultures.

"The more we interact with each other for all of our cultures the better we understand each other, the more likely we are to benefit the whole society. That's why we have to interact," he emphasized.