Brya Ingram/Stuff Zhang was excited about the event, one of the biggest dates on the Chinese calendar. “It is the year of the Ox. Ox in the Chinese culture is strong, it means you can achieve a lot ... so it is going to be a good year,” Zhang said. Eva Au-Yeung, of Hong-Kong, said people usually tried to rush back home to celebrate New Year with their family, but that was not possible this year due to travel restrictions. “I miss home, especially the big festival for Chinese New Year. But we treat us as a family here in Blenheim. We speak the same language, share the same kind of food, the same culture,” Au-Yeung said.