NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Man's best friend is poised to steal the limelight at the Lunar New Year Festival celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in Manhattan, New York, on Saturday.

As part of the Met's celebration of the Year of the Dog, which takes place on Saturday, the Guide Dog Foundation, America's Vet Dogs, and Guiding Eyes for the Blind will bring in working service dogs and puppies in training, with an aim to help people understand the important work guide dogs perform for people with various disabilities.

Meanwhile, a special exhibition "Celebrating the Year of the Dog" on view Jan. 19-July 4 demonstrates the importance of dogs in daily Chinese life over the centuries.

According to the exhibition, archaeological evidence indicates that dogs were buried to accompany the deceased as early as in China's Shang dynasty (ca. 1600-1046 B.C.). By the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), dogs were frequently represented in painting and metalwork, as well as in pottery tomb figures, and they remained a popular motif across all media for two millennia.

This is the ninth consecutive year for the Met to hold celebratory events for the Chinese New Year. Saturday's event will also include a parade, musical performances, art-making activities, a hand-pulled noodle demonstration, and storytelling.

The Met has seen an increase in visitors from China in recent years. In the 2017 fiscal year, 37 percent of visitors were international. Chinese visitors made up 15 percent of that total, up 2 percent from the previous year.