Welcome to Your Girl Reporter’s first post for 2019, my traditional assessment of what’s in store for the Lunar New Year, with a bit of help from Chinese astrology. It’s fun!
It’s also my first Lunar New Year filing from the Hong Kong bureau, after an astonishing personal Year of the Dog which was, as predicted, a year of opportunity for those of us born in the Year of the Tiger.
But enough about me! There’s a Piggie in play, and it’s time to look at what the year ahead might hold under her captaincy.
Yes, she’s a lady! Ms Pig is a Yin animal in the Chinese zodiac and her element is Water. And this, the last in a 12-year cycle, is an Earth year. And what do you get when you mix Water and Earth? A dirty, happy Pig!
That, hopefully, is as complicated as we’re going to get.
There are a few versions of why the Pig turned up last when the Jade Emperor was handing out the 12 places on the astrological calendar.
One is that she overslept. Another story, which will be familiar to everyone, is that a wolf destroyed her house and she had to build a new one, making her late for the party.
I like to think she was delayed in the excellent company of Hong Kong cartoonist Bill Yim (left), from a Lunar New Year card he sent me back in 1983.
After a torrid 2018, I think we could all use a bit of friendly, happy-go-lucky Pig energy so let’s get splashing!
According to the principles of Chinese astrology, the way to determine your prospects is to see how your animal sign matches up with the characteristics of the animal in charge of the next 12 lunar months.
How would the two animals interact? And what qualities does the ruling animal possess that you could learn from to improve your chances of a good year?
The popular Pig brings good fortune and luck for all
The popular Pig brings good fortune and luck for all. She’s good natured, kind and easygoing. She’s also a symbol of wealth, although she is not good at managing money. The generous seldom are.
We could do with more generosity, along with the honesty and sincerity that Pig brings to her many friendships. Be like Pig!
But what is she likely to bring to some of the key players on our muddy world stage? Looking ahead, we can be pretty sure that events will continue to be dominated by that big bad dog in Washington.
We know Donald Trump doesn’t play well with others, nor does he exhibit many of the obvious traits of his own birth animal. He’s also a self-confessed germaphobe so he would be unlikely to enjoy a little muddy play. As far as we know. I’m betting the happy-go-lucky Pig will not bring out the best in him.
Donald Trump – Year of the Dog
The Year of the Dog was dominated by Trump’s trade war with China and, not incidentally, his trashing of long-established alliances and political norms. At home and abroad, everyone has been trying to work out how to deal with him.
Your Girl Reporter’s favourite online astrologer Master Tsai, at Chinese Fortune Calendar, has done a dive into how Trump handled the previous 12-year cycle ending in a Pig year for some clues, and it wasn’t a great time for him.
Master Tsai predicts trouble in money management, business deals, economic policy and trade negotiations and goes into a lot of arcane detail to explain why. In a nutshell, Trump’s in danger of getting stuck in the mire.
Over at The Chinese Zodiac website the advice for Dog natives is to remember that loyal friends who are worthy of trust are few.
Xi Jinping – Year of the Snake
Trade talks will be top of the agenda for the new year and, with Trump adopting his usual winner-takes-all approach, what will that mean for his main adversary?
China’s president Xi Jinping is a Snake native. Like the Pig, the Snake raises a few negative connotations in western tradition but in Chinese culture, the Snake has a much more positive reputation.
Snake natives are said to be selfless, cordial and righteous, as well as practical.
When Snake meets Pig, something might not go your way – Master Tsai
Master Tsai warns Snakes that unfortunately Pig does not bring wealth your way and advises against arguing with people who have different opinions or interests.
Since that can’t be avoided, the Snake’s best bet is to rely on having a good team in place, most especially those born in the Year of the Horse. But I’m not going to start checking out the horoscopes of the politburo.
You don’t need a Girl Reporter to tell you there are torrid times ahead.
Xi has been busily shoring up his power by explicitly drawing on the iconography and language of that other great team player Mao Zedong, if that’s any indication, while cracking down on activists and religious folk at home.
Unfortunately, the degeneracy of the White House means any censure from that direction can easily be batted away. Which just leaves a contest of power, at this stage economic.
We appear to be in a race between climate catastrophe and hot war. I fear each will feed the other.
Vladimir Putin – Year of the Dragon
For Dragons, Pig can be offensive and destructive, so things might not be so rosy for the Russian puppet master this year.
A Putin under pressure may be even more dangerous than the smug version we’ve been seeing of late. A (very) few of us will be hoping there isn’t a pee tape. But that could end up being the least of our worries.
Eventually, I presume, there’ll be enough evidence of his interference in US politics to prompt some action even from Congress. That, combined with the inevitable realisation in Britain of his role in its Brexit adventure, could – maybe – lead to a renewal of old alliances against him.
And then what? Snakes are said, in Chinese mythology, to be fallen Dragons. In the search for a new bestie, the old adage that my enemy’s enemy is my friend will perhaps see two old rivals find more to unite than divide them.
I’ll be in the muddy puddle with Pig, hopefully splashing not drowning.
Further reading:
There are loads of books and websites dedicated to the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac but I’ve quoted from just two, The Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Fortune Calendar
And if you want to know more about the Lunar New Year festival and the Year of the Pig, here’s a good article from the South China Morning Post.
With grateful thanks to Lady Severine Sinful for her delightful zodiac animals. And also to my extraordinary honorary uncle Bill Yim for his presumed permission to reproduce his Lunar New Year card here. You can meet my Extraordinary Uncle properly here:
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