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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
you either 24, 36, 48, or 60 years old.
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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's 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 exactly Chinese Zodiac?
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Most Westerners think
of Greco-Roman Zodiac,
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the sign divided into 12 months.
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Chinese Zodiac is different.
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It's a 12-year cycle
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labeled with animals,
starting with the rat
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and ending with the 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
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theoretical framework
based on inner yang,
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the five elements,
and the 12 Zodiac animals.
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Over the thousands of years,
this popular culture
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has affected people's major decisions,
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such as naming, marriage, giving birth,
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and attitude towards each other,
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and some of the implications
are quite amazing.
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Chinese believe certain animals
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get on more well than the others.
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So parents, they 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 the 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 hands 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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Chinese dragon is a symbol for power,
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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 one.
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In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,
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the birth rate in China,
Hong Kong, and Taiwan
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increased by 5 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 of that year
was 120 to 100.
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When those dragon boys grow up,
they will face much more severe
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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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If you are a goat,
please don't feel bad.
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Those a goat babies.
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They don't 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, on 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,
maybe it's much better
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to have much 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 the tradition
of the Zodiac sign
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has been over thousands of years,
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the trend of using it
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in making major decisions
did not really happen
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until the past few decades.
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Our ancestors were very busy
to survive from poverty,
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drought, famine, riot, disease,
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and civil war.
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And finally, Chinese people
have the time, wealth,
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and technology to create
and 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 decision made based on Zodiac
and other Chinese traditions
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end up impacting everyone
around the world.
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Is there any monkeys here?
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2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
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Monkeys are clever,
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curious, creative, and mischievous.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
Yasushi Aoki
Hseuh -> Hsueh
Yasushi Aoki
inner yang -> yin and yang