Flowers, food, family - welcome to the new year

It's the most important festival in the Chinese calendar - Lunar New Year. Traditionally a period for spending time with family, for many hard-toiling workers it is the one holiday of the year. Businesses and shops close, colourful decorations go up and firecrackers are let off across the city. For others, it's a boom-time, with stallholders, flower-sellers and restaurants all enjoying a busy season.

In the New Territories, farms are lit up as kumquat bushes are brought to fruit just in time for the new year. Playgrounds everywhere are transformed into colourful markets as vendors display a rich variety of traditional plants and flowers.

Festive events take place everywhere, from Tai Po villages to the streets of Mong Kok, many geared towards children. For everyone, it's a time to celebrate the new year to come.