A pleasing melody of flute and strings drifted lightly through the cavernous entrance hall of the V&A last weekend, courtesy of a four-piece Chinese music ensemble, providing a soothing start to the Year of the Pig.

The crowd who had assembled to listen, or those who had lined up hoping to examine the contents of Kylie’s wardrobe, may have assumed that the musicians had flown in thousands of miles especially for the occasion. In fact, the quartet was the Rhythm UK Chinese Musical and Art Association, who are based in this country, as are many of those who contributed to the museum’s celebrations.

Proof perhaps of the deep-rooted fascination with Chinese culture in modern Britain that is further reflected by the fact that the museum’s New Year’s events bring in an additional six thousand extra visitors. By embracing the likes of Chinese music, cookery and martial arts, the public have become increasingly drawn to what Keeper of the V&A’s Asian Department, Beth McKillop, describes as the “attractive mixture of fine arts and spectacle” contained within Chinese cultural life.

The museum first joined the festivities in 1990, not long after the opening of its China Gallery. It is to the credit of the V&A’s Learning Department and its strong community links with cultural groups and schools that this year offered much to delight and enthral both young and old.

The Chinese Gallery was temporarily utilised as a centre for children’s activities, with the little ones kept busy with paper and paint. This gave the adults more freedom to enjoy the exhibits elsewhere without fear of bumping into a four-year-old wearing a scary dragon mask.

The Raphael Room contained the majority of the attractions displayed on a circuit of tables, somewhat dwarfed by the vast exhibition space, but containing a great deal of interest.

First to catch your eye was likely to be the remarkable Rose Nana, a woman of considerable years who is nonetheless able to perform wonders with a small knife and a piece of fruit that would make younger artisans weep. The inside of a watermelon was carved into the intricate shape of a pink flower in full flourish; a mooli was morphed into a splendidly intricate fish. Technically, I was informed, this type of fruit and vegetable sculpture originates from Thailand, but who would quibble when faced with such artistry?

Elsewhere in the room, one could find colourful costumes, paper sculptures and the delightful paintings of Li Liu Hai, who creates modern works using ancient techniques. His subject matter is purely traditional - delicately rendered landscapes with human and animal figures contained in a fusion of water colours. On the other side of the hall Yang Guo Hua presented an impressive series of oil paintings illustrating World Heritage sites such as The Great Wall itself.

Even in the grand surroundings of the Raphael Room the emphasis was still on fun and interactivity. No museum these days likes to be seen as a stuffed shirt unwilling to indulge in party games. So there was the opportunity to play Mah-jong, Chinese Chequers or a game of Go. The rules of the latter are simple enough for a child to comprehend, although apparently if you have not mastered the game by the age of eight you have blown any chance of ever playing professionally.

The exhibits paid respectful homage to Chinese tradition while displaying a modern relevance. The tea-tasting demonstration may have employed methods that go back centuries, but the antioxidant, cholesterol-busting properties of the chrysanthemum-scented brew possessed a decidedly trendy appeal.

Chinese New Year has long been a celebration which embraces all races and cultures; a fact the V&A’s events more than ably illustrated, even down to the inhabitants of the dragon costume who danced through the museum. I am not sure where they hailed from on this occasion but I was told that last year the dragon had flown all the way from Essex.