In her TED talk, ShaoLan Hsueh – a London-based Taiwanese author, designer, venture capitalist, tech entrepreneur, podcast host, speaker, and the creator of Chinese language -learning system, Chineasy – argues that philosophy and astrology wield a much larger influence on people’s lives and decision-making than in the west.
As she explains, ‘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.’ This, in turn, she notes, ‘might seem small-scale, but causes an actual fluctuation in consumer demand and impacts the economy.’
As the developer of Chineasy, it is, after all, her mission to give people a greater understanding of Chinese language and culture. As she says, ‘Maybe you don’t believe in the Chinese zodiac. As a quarter of the world’s population is influenced by it, you’d be wise to do something about that.’
On February 1, we entered the Year of the Tiger, the third animal in the zodiac. Of the many myths explaining the order of the signs, the most enduring is based on a folk tale known as The Great Race, in which twelve animals competed in a race set by the god Jade Emperor, who wanted to devise a way to measure time. The order each finished in turn represents the sequence of the zodiac – with the rat coming first (having hitched a ride across a river on the back of the kind-hearted ox) and the pig coming last, after a stop to eat and nap.
Here are the resources to check to see what the year might hold for your sign.
The Chinese Zodiac
A simple, easy-to-use site, The Chinese Zodiac is a comprehensive resource for anyone wishing to know more about their sign, as well as the year ahead. The highly navigable home page directs users to new posts, which range from career-focused horoscopes according through to the lucky plants and flowers for 2022. Want to see how well you match with you partner or potential partner? Have a go on the Chinese zodiac compatibility chart. Explore more here.
Chinese Fortune Calendar
What this site lacks in style it makes up for in fun. It allows you to type in the day and time of your birth, thus personalising your daily, monthly and yearly fortune predictions. Particularly diverting is the compatibility calculator; simply add your date of birth and that of your paramour to discover if you were meant to be together. (Be prepared: if you get a minus score, it may suggest that you’re more likely to want to meet in court than live a happily ever after. As ever, take it all with a pinch of salt.) Explore more here.
Ching Oracle
This free zodiac site may not be a visual feast, but the content will keep any avid horoscope enthusiast entertained and enthralled. There are daily predictions that you can access by clicking on your animal symbol. If you’re a newbie, it also offers a tool that quickly calculates your sign according to the year of your birth, as well as your element and ascendant. There are Feng Shui and I Ching sections to explore too, which you can access if you subscribe. Explore more here.
Chinese Horoscope Daily Weekly App
If you want insights into your life according to the zodiac and you want them on the go, why not download this app, which delivers your horoscope daily or weekly? You can also find out all about your personality type, which reliably spells hours of fun with groups of good friends. A useful little tool, whether you simply want to play or you derive genuine inspiration from the daily words of wisdom. Download it here.
Chinese Horoscope App
Another app, another predictor of your future, straight to your phone. If you like the idea of fortune telling every day without having to go looking for it, this free app is fun as well as giving insights into your ‘wellness, intellect, love, emotions, intuition, future, past, creativity, work and money.’ Not bad to be able to tell all that via your phone. Download it here.
By Nancy Alsop
February 2022
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