Zodiac Fun Talk -- China Folk Culture Series

Author: Chen Qinjian (Author), Gai Guoliang (Illustrator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features:
People are born in a certain year. In China, the traditional method of calculating age is based on the 12 zodiac animals: Rat (Zi), Ox (Chou), Tiger (Yin), Rabbit (Mao), Dragon (Chen), Snake (Si), Horse (Wu), Goat (Wei), Monkey (Shen), Rooster (You), Dog (Xu), and Pig (Hai). The zodiac animal of a particular year is determined by its Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, commonly referred to as the "Chinese zodiac." In China, the system of using Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to record years has a long history. However, how did the zodiac animals come to be associated with the years in later transmissions? Why were 12 animals chosen to represent them, and why do people prefer to express their birth dates in terms of these animals? What is the relationship between the zodiac and our lives? The custom of the zodiac often leaves people puzzled: How could certain creatures in nature be connected to our lives? On the surface, the zodiac is a way our ancestors used to record years, but in essence, it is a significant symbol of our national cultural life. If humans only understand their biological life but have a superficial understanding of their cultural life, then the mystery of human life cannot be fully solved. It is reported that experts in life sciences have deciphered that the genes of chickens and rats are most similar to human genes. In terms of biological life genes, they are extremely similar to humans. Why? Experts studying human genes are baffled by this. As a folklorist, however, I am inspired by this to think about something else: In ancient Chinese creation myths, the opening of heaven and earth and the birth of all things are often attributed to either a chicken or a rat. For example, the Jingchu Annual Records states that the ancient people honored the first day of the lunar New Year as the birthday of the chicken. Meanwhile, the rat holds the highest position in the zodiac. Considering the genetic similarity between these two animals and human genes, we cannot help but ask: Is this a coincidence, or is it part of a biological life evolution that we have yet to understand? Or something else? It seems that experts in biological life genes and scholars studying cultural life genes both need to delve deeper into this. Building on previous research, I have also explored the origins of the zodiac, but the more I investigate, the more difficult it becomes. The geological culture and folklore of a nation are different from the formation of surface culture—the upper culture, or what is known as elite culture. The former, like the custom of the zodiac and other folk practices, is formed through people's daily habits and the gradual accumulation of customs, influenced by collective behavioral patterns and the cultural psychological model of "we-ness." In contrast, upper culture, such as Confucianism, was gradually constructed and promoted by individuals like Confucius. Additionally, the traditional historical view of emperors and generals, as reflected in old historical records, primarily focuses on upper culture. Books and writings are clearly documented, even those that have been destroyed or lost still leave traces, while the cultural history of ordinary people often remains on the fringes of history, rarely leaving a mark in historical documents. Therefore, the complete decryption of the zodiac custom still awaits the discovery of new materials, both above and below ground.
I was commissioned to write this book and have strived to fulfill its purpose. I have sought to provide an analytical and engaging explanation in the context of academic research. In addition to my own insights, I have also adopted and referenced the views and materials of other experts and scholars. Due to the format of this series, I could not list them all. Here, I express my heartfelt gratitude to them.