介绍:
n formal Chinese astrology, the birth sign system is a 12-year rotation that starts with the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and ends with the pig.
As an old Chinese saying goes, "Shi yang jiu bu quan", literally meaning, nine out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep will suffer greatly, is still prevailing in many parts of the country.
Leading by the superstitious social trend that , tens of thousands of mothers across China are keen to have a child in the auspicious Year of the Horse, rather than in the "unlucky" Year of the Sheep that will start on Feb 19, 2015.
The baby boom has made hospitals wildly overcrowded with pregnant women. Mother-to-bes have even had to wait in line for several days to get hospital beds.
Ms. Wu is one of them:
(Soundbite 2: Wu, Female, Chinese)
"We had considered a lot. Since it is the year of the Horse, whose meanings are very good, such as gaining a victory as soon the horse arrives, and becoming wealthy right away, we planned to get pregnant at the beginning of this year."
According to Zhang Li, director of obstetrics and gynecology department of Shenyang Women's and Children's Hospital in northeast China's Liaoning province, the number of babies born so far in 2014 has increased nearly 20 percent compared to the same period in 2013.
(Soundbite 3: Zhang Li, Female, Chinese)
"There were about 300 pregnant women everyday here. After the Spring festival of the year of the Horse, the number of the patients has been increased to more than 350 a day. It's so hard to find a bed now."
But is it true that people born in the Year of the Sheep suffered greatly?
Li Shimin, known as the Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, was one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, and he was born in 559 AC, the year of Sheep.
Mo Yan, one of the most famous Chinese writers who won the first Nobel Prize in literature in China, was born in 1955, also year of the Sheep.
And celebrities like Chow Yun-fat, Zhang Ziyi and Chen Daoming, as well as the king of Chinese pop Jay Chou were all born in the Year of the Sheep.
Liu Tie, a folklorist and professor in Liaoning University, explains that it's unscientific to connect people's fate to their year of birth. Meanwhile, flocking to have babies in the same year not only exhausts hospital resources and causes inconvenience to pregnant women; it also arouses other social problems. These include fiercer competition for good schools, colleges, and employment for the children born in that year. He says:
(Soundbite 5: Liu Tie, Male, Chinese)
"They have to compete for the resources of public health and education. The rush begin at the labor rooms, leading all the ways to every period of life. It will be really hard for them to get jobs."
Despite that, people are more likely to associate sheep with the implied meaning as weak, obedient, and foolish. Those born in the Year of the Sheep are usually considered to be soft followers rather than strong leaders.
Song Bingyi is a well-known expert in yi-ology, a traditional Chinese metaphysics based on the studies of Zhou Yi, he says that it makes no sense, and a person's fortune is in his or her own hands, which has nothing to do with birth signs.
(Soundbite 7: Zhou Bingyi, Male, Chinese)
"Among the entire twelve zodiacs, there's no saying about which one is high or low. The year of birth doesn't decide the fate of people. It is not necessary for us to entangle on this matter."
Zhang Zhujun, vice chairman of Hebei Folk Cultural Association says:
(Soundbite 8: Zhang Zhujun, Female, Chinese)
"The Chinese forefathers used to associate the sheep with nice things, which is evident itself in the Chinese traditional sayings with the character 'Yang', or sheep in English. Sheep could bring bliss and grace. For example, we say 'Yang Gao Gui Ru', meaning lambs kneel down suckling from their mother, representing a feeling of being thankful. While the reason sheep was selected into zodiacs is that it represents the children's filial piety to their parents."
There are many Chinese idioms related to Sheep. "San yang kai tai" means three rams bring bliss, it has a positive and harmonious implications and symbolizes making a good beginning, to which a happy end comes. "Yang" is also used to form other phrases meaning "beauty", "luck" and "kindness".
While according to Chinese history, the superstitious view of bad luck associated with the Year of Sheep was never heard of before the end of 19th century, when China's last dynasty Qing was in its last days. It might have been a rumor started to overthrow the reign of the Dowager Empress Cixi. Cixi and other high-ranking officials of late Qing Dynasty, like Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang were all born in the Year of the Sheep. People hated the corrupt Qing government and their officials, so they started saying those born in that year had bad luck.
As the Chinese new year of Sheep is coming to town, let's throw this ridiculous superstition away, and enjoy the Chinese Lunar New Year!
For Studio+, I am Chi Huiguang.
