The Chinese zodiac, explained | ShaoLan

1,351,374 views ・ 2016-06-30

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Have you ever been asked by your Chinese friend,
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"What is your zodiac sign?"
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Don't think they are making small talk.
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If you say, "I'm a Monkey,"
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they immediately know
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you are either 24, 36, 48 or 60 years old.
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(Laughter)
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Asking a zodiac sign is a polite way of asking your age.
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By revealing your zodiac sign, you are also being evaluated.
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Judgments are being made about your fortune or misfortune,
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your personality, career prospects
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and how you will do in a given year.
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If you share you and your partner's animal signs,
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they will paint a picture in their mind about your private life.
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Maybe you don't believe in the Chinese zodiac.
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As a quarter of the world population is influenced by it,
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you'd be wise to do something about that.
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So what is the Chinese zodiac, exactly?
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Most Westerners think of Greco-Roman zodiac,
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the signs divided into 12 months.
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The Chinese zodiac is different.
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It's a 12-year cycle labeled with animals,
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starting with a Rat and ending with a Pig,
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and has no association with constellations.
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For example, if you were born in 1975, you are a Rabbit.
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Can you see your zodiac sign there?
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Our Chinese ancestors constructed a very complicated theoretical framework
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based on yin and yang, the five elements and the 12 zodiac animals.
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Over thousands of years,
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this popular culture has affected people's major decisions,
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such as naming, marriage, giving birth and attitude towards each other.
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And some of the implications are quite amazing.
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The Chinese believe certain animals get on better than the others.
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So parents choose specific years to give birth to babies,
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because they believe the team effort by the right combination of animals
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can give prosperity to families.
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We even refer to the zodiac when entering into romantic relations.
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I'm a Pig; I should have perfect romance with Tigers, Goats and Rabbits.
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Chinese people believe some animals are natural enemies.
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As a Pig, I need to be careful with a Snake.
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Raise your hand if you are a Snake.
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Let's have a chat later.
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(Laughter)
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We believe some animals are luckier than the others,
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such as the Dragon.
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Unlike the Western tradition,
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the Chinese Dragon is a symbol for power, strength and wealth.
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It's everyone's dream to have a Dragon baby.
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Jack Ma's parents must have been very proud.
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And they are not the only ones.
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In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,
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the birthrate in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
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increased by five percent.
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That means another one million more babies.
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With a traditional preference to baby boys,
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the boy-girl ratio that year was 120 to 100.
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When those Dragon boys grow up,
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they will face much more severe competition in love and job markets.
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According to the BBC and the Chinese government's press release,
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January 2015 saw a peak of Cesarean sections.
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Why?
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That was the last month for the Year of the Horse.
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It's not because they like horses so much,
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it's because they try to avoid having unlucky Goat babies.
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(Laughter)
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If you are a Goat, please don't feel bad.
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Those are Goat babies.
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They don't look like losers to me.
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(Laughter)
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Tiger is another undesirable animal,
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due to its volatile temperament.
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Many Chinese regions saw a sharp decline of birthrate
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during those years.
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Perhaps one should consider zodiac in reverse,
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as those Tiger and Goat babies will face much less competition.
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Maybe they are the lucky ones.
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I went through the Forbes top 300 richest people in the world,
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and it's interesting to see
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the most undesirable two animals, the Goat and Tiger,
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are at the top of the chart,
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even higher than the Dragon.
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So maybe we should consider,
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maybe it's much better to have less competition.
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One last but interesting point:
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many Chinese people make their investment decisions
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based on the zodiac sign index.
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Although the belief and tradition of the zodiac sign
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has been over thousands of years,
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the trend of using it in making major decisions
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did not really happen until the past few decades.
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Our ancestors were very busy surviving poverty, drought,
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famine, riot, disease and civil war.
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And finally, Chinese people have the time, wealth and technology
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to create an ideal life they've always wanted.
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The collective decision made by 1.3 billion people
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has caused the fluctuation in economics and demand on everything,
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from health care and education to property and consumer goods.
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As China plays such an important role in the global economy and geopolitics,
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the decisions made based on the zodiac and other Chinese traditions
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end up impacting everyone around the world.
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Are there any Monkeys here?
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2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
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Monkeys are clever, curious, creative and mischievous.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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