Sunday marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
Millions of Chinese worldwide, and in New Zealand, are celebrating the lunar new year.
In China, Premier Wen Jia Bao has used his new year speech to warn his nation to keep a sober mind in the year ahead, and to help maintain the momentum of economic development.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is urging the country's ethnic Chinese majority not to follow old beliefs that advise against having babies during the Year of the Tiger.
Mr Lee says that in previous Tiger years, Singapore's birth rate has dropped 7%, and he says the country cannot afford another drop in its already low birth rate.
