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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 inner 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)