China Travel Guide

Most people are interested to find out what sign they are in the Chinese zodiac system , particularly since - like the Western system - each person is supposed to have characteristics similar to those of the sign which relates to their birthdate. True Chinese astrologers, however, eschew the use of the animal symbols in isolation to analyse a person's life, seeing the zodiac signs as mere entertainment. There are twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, corresponding with one of twelve animals, whose characteristics you'll find listed below. These animal signs have existed in Chinese folk tradition since the sixth century BC, though it wasn't until the third century BC that they were incorporated into a formal study of astrology and astronomy, based around the device of the lunar calendar. Quite why animals emerged as the vehicle for Chinese horoscopy is unclear: one story has it that the animals used are the twelve which appeared before the command of Buddha, who named the years in the order in which the animals arrived. Another says that the Jade Emperor held a race to determine the fastest animals. The first twelve to cross a chosen river would be picked to represent the twelve earthly branches which make up the cyclical order of years in the lunar calendar.

Each lunar year (which starts in late January/early February) is represented by one of the twelve animal symbols. Your sign depends on the year you were born, but beyond that the idea is the same: born under the sign of a particular animal, you will have certain characteristics, ideal partners, lucky and unlucky days. To go into your real Chinese astrological self, you need to take your precise date and time of birth along to a Chinese astrologer - in China, you'll find plenty of amateurs plying their trade around city parks. The animals always appear in the same order so that if you know the current year you can always work out which one is to influence the following Chinese New Year.