Shoppers were treated to an extravaganza of eastern culture at a Chinese New Year celebration.

The New Year event took place in The Mall Chequers in Maidstone on Saturday and Sunday, where crowds were wowed by performances of Chinese opera, martial arts and dragon dancing.

Michael Lam, owner of kalaRED restaurant in Bank Street, helped organise the celebrations.

He said the forthcoming year of the Ox could well be a prosperous one, despite current economic conditions.

He said: “If you look at Chinese paintings of the Ox it’s actually a buffalo - it signifies hard work and reliability.

“Although it may be a slow year it’s still powerful.”