Image copyright L2F1, reproduced under CC licence from Flickr

Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year, a 15-day celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of a new Lunar year.

It also marks the beginning of a new cycle of the Chinese zodiac, as repesented by 12 different animals of Chinese legend and mythology. 2012 represents the year of the Dragon, a potent symbol of power, strength and good fortune.

To help celebrate the occasion there are a variety of events going on this week  in the Student Union, including 10% off all Oriental produce in the Union Building shop. To find out more, visit the SU home page here.

If you’re interested in finding out more about China, its history and traditions, don’t forget that the Library has quite a range of books on the subject in our geography, history and sociology sections, searchable through Library Catalogue Plus.