SALT LAKE CITY, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The western U.S. state of Utah kicked off celebration for the 150th anniversary of the completion of the nation's first transcontinental railroad on Friday, to which thousands of Chinese railroad workers have made great contribution.

An official ceremony was held at the Golden Spike National Historical Park at Promontory Summit, an area of high ground roughly 100 km northwest of Salt Lake City. The last spike of the transcontinental railroad, often referred to as the Golden Spike, was ceremonially driven in here by Central Pacific Railroad President Leland Stanford on May 10, 1869.

A series of activities will be hosted during the three-day celebration, also referred as Spike 150, including artwork exhibition on the history of the construction of the railroad, Utah-China trade and investment forum, and a U.S.-China summit on education, innovation, trade and business, according to the organizing committee.