Readers are being asked to choose Oxfordshire’s best Chinese restaurant or takeaway to help celebrate Chinese New Year.

The winner of the contest will be awarded the title ‘Oxford Mail best Chinese 2022’.

We are asking for readers to nominate their favourite Chinese - the place where they have been dining out or picking up their takeaways for years.

Let us know which restaurants offer the tastiest takeaways - it could be the steamed dumplings, egg foo young or chicken fried rice.

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Regional editor Andrew Colley said: “The pandemic has hit the hospitality industry hard, with many restaurants and takeaways suffering as a result.

“At the Oxford Mail we believe strongly in supporting our local businesses and with Chinese New Year just around the corner this is a perfect opportunity to highlight the amazing eateries on our doorstep.

“Make sure to vote for your favourite so that we can shine a spotlight and celebrate as many as possible.”

To nominate your favourite, visit surveymonkey.com/r/oxfordmail-chinese.

Nominations will be open until January 30.

Once the survey is closed, we will list the top 10 Chinese restaurants and takeaways.

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And from February 1 to February 12, we will feature voting tokens in paper and the restaurant with the most votes from the paper will win.

The winner will then be announced on February 17.

Chinese New Year 2022 is almost upon us with millions of people across the globe set to celebrate.

Festivities to mark the occasion, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, run from February 1 to February 15.

There are twelve Chinese Zodiac animals, each of which is linked to certain characteristics and elements, and they rotate each year.

This year is the Year of the Tiger.

The animal occupies the third position in the Chinese Zodiac.

The twelve zodiac animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Chinese New Year marks the start of the new year, according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

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In mainland China it is usually referred to as the Spring Festival. It is one of several lunar New Years celebrated in different Asian countries.

Red decorations are a common sight during Chinese New Year.

It is a lucky colour in China and billions of ‘red envelopes’ are sent to family and friends each year to mark the occasion. More than two billion people celebrate the festival worldwide.

Some celebrations have had to be scaled back over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the past, the city council has hosted an event at the town hall to provide an opportunity for local Chinese people to mark the festival.