The Chinese zodiac, explained

ShaoLan Hsueh speaks at TED2016

Have you ever been asked
by your Chinese friend,

"What is your zodiac sign?"

Don't think they are making small talk.

If you say, "I'm a Monkey,"

they immediately know

you are either 24, 36, 48 or 60 years old.

(Laughter)

Asking a zodiac sign is a polite way
of asking your age.

By revealing your zodiac sign,
you are also being evaluated.

Judgments are being made
about your fortune or misfortune,

your personality, career prospects

and how you will do in a given year.

If you share you and your
partner's animal signs,

they will paint a picture in their mind
about your private life.

Maybe you don't believe
in the Chinese zodiac.

As a quarter of the world population
is influenced by it,

you'd be wise to do something about that.

So what is the Chinese zodiac, exactly?

Most Westerners think
of Greco-Roman zodiac,

the signs divided into 12 months.

The Chinese zodiac is different.

It's a 12-year cycle labeled with animals,

starting with a Rat and ending with a Pig,

and has no association
with constellations.

For example, if you were born
in 1975, you are a Rabbit.

Can you see your zodiac sign there?

Our Chinese ancestors constructed
a very complicated theoretical framework

based on inner yang, the five elements
and the 12 zodiac animals.

Over thousands of years,

this popular culture has affected
people's major decisions,

such as naming, marriage, giving birth
and attitude towards each other.

And some of the implications
are quite amazing.

The Chinese believe certain animals
get on better than the others.

So parents choose specific years
to give birth to babies,

because they believe the team effort
by the right combination of animals

can give prosperity to families.

We even refer to the zodiac
when entering into romantic relations.

I'm a Pig; I should have perfect romance
with Tigers, Goats and Rabbits.

Chinese people believe some animals
are natural enemies.

As a Pig, I need
to be careful with a Snake.

Raise your hand if you are a Snake.

Let's have a chat later.

(Laughter)

We believe some animals
are luckier than the others,

such as the Dragon.

Unlike the Western tradition,

the Chinese Dragon is a symbol
for power, strength and wealth.

It's everyone's dream
to have a Dragon baby.

Jack Ma's parents
must have been very proud.

And they are not the only ones.

In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,

the birthrate in China,
Hong Kong and Taiwan

increased by five percent.

That means another
one million more babies.

With a traditional
preference to baby boys,

the boy-girl ratio that year
was 120 to 100.

When those Dragon boys grow up,

they will face much more severe
competition in love and job markets.

According to the BBC and the Chinese
government's press release,

January 2015 saw a peak
of Cesarean sections.

Why?

That was the last month
for the Year of the Horse.

It's not because they like horses so much,

it's because they try to avoid
having unlucky Goat babies.

(Laughter)

If you are a Goat, please don't feel bad.

Those are Goat babies.

They don't look like losers to me.

(Laughter)

Tiger is another undesirable animal,

due to its volatile temperament.

Many Chinese regions
saw a sharp decline of birthrate

during those years.

Perhaps one should consider
zodiac in reverse,

as those Tiger and Goat babies
will face much less competition.

Maybe they are the lucky ones.

I went through the Forbes
top 300 richest people in the world,

and it's interesting to see

the most undesirable two animals,
the Goat and Tiger,

are at the top of the chart,

even higher than the Dragon.

So maybe we should consider,

maybe it's much better
to have less competition.

One last but interesting point:

many Chinese people make
their investment decisions

based on the zodiac sign index.

Although the belief and tradition
of the zodiac sign

has been over thousands of years,

the trend of using it
in making major decisions

did not really happen
until the past few decades.

Our ancestors were very busy
surviving poverty, drought,

famine, riot, disease and civil war.

And finally, Chinese people
have the time, wealth and technology

to create an ideal life
they've always wanted.

The collective decision
made by 1.3 billion people

has caused the fluctuation in economics
and demand on everything,

from health care and education
to property and consumer goods.

As China plays such an important role
in the global economy and geopolitics,

the decisions made based on the zodiac
and other Chinese traditions

end up impacting everyone
around the world.

Are there any Monkeys here?

2016 is the Year of the Monkey.

Monkeys are clever, curious,
creative and mischievous.

Thank you.

(Applause)