Updated

On a warm sunny morning, a colorful display of arches and paper lanterns adorn a path near the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

This photo by Associated Press photographer Rick Rycroft shows Pen Pu, his wife, Chelsea Peng, and their 3-year-old son, Dore, taking advantage of the weather and holiday decorations for some family pictures. The gardens, conceived by Chinese landscape artists in consultation with the local Chinese community, are a popular destination for tourists and residents and is located next to the Chinatown district in Sydney.

Pu, 35, of Sydney, is Chinese but a permanent resident of Australia; his wife and son are Australian nationals. He said that for the coming New Year he has hopes that "our country will be peaceful and will get stronger and my family will be happy and healthy."

Each day this week, the AP will showcase a single Chinese New Year-themed photo from around the Asia-Pacific region, illustrating what China's biggest holiday means to the country and its extensive Chinese diaspora.