New Year，New Wish

　　Chinese people embrace the Year of the Horse

　　As Spring Festival nears， all kinds of horse-themed products are filling the shelves of stores across the country. The reason is simple： the Year of the Horse is coming！ The first day of the Year of the Horse falls on January 31 this year， and ends on February 18， 2015， according to the Chinese lunar calendar.

　　“Business is great！ I have just finished selling Christmas trinkets， and now horse-themed ones are filling up the gap left behind，” said Wang Bo， owner of a stand at a small commodity wholesale market in downtown Beijing， in great joy while displaying a pile of horse-shaped stuffed toys.

　　“I want to choose some horse items for my family and friends. I hope they can bring us good luck in the New Year，” said Xie Tong， a girl choosing gifts at the stand.

　　“As Spring Festival approaches， more and more customers are coming to buy horse mascots. I can sell more than 100 of them a day. Many stall owners even give up on selling to individuals and only do wholesaling，” said Wang. In addition to stuffed animals， other popular horse-themed commodities include pendants， door posts， and others.

　　Compared to physical shops， business is booming even more online. While searching on Taobao.com， China’s biggest e-commerce website， where one can seemingly find any product or service， more than 290，000 horse-themed products are available. There are innovative commodities such as horse-shaped USB flash disks and speakers.

　　The Chinese zodiac has 12 animals： rat， ox， tiger， rabbit， dragon， snake， horse， sheep， monkey， rooster， dog and pig. Starting with the rat and ending with the pig， the 12 animals form a cycle on the lunar calendar.

　　Horse baby boom

　　According to traditional Chinese beliefs， there is a special relationship between human beings and their zodiac animals， which is similar to Western beliefs about astrology and personal character.

　　Many people believe to some degree that the zodiac animal affects the disposition of those born in the corresponding year. In turn， the zodiac symbols have their own unique connotations， and are often endowed with personality attributes.

　　According to the Chinese zodiac， Horse people tend to be smart， outgoing and energetic. They usually think fast with good interpersonal communication skills. A prominent characteristic of people born in the Year of the Horse is that they are lovers of freedom and very independent.

　　Thus， the Year of the Horse usually sees a baby boom， and this year is no exception. “Both my parents and my parents-in-law are putting pressure on me right now. They hope I can have a baby this year，” said Liu Liping， a 29-year-old woman who got married two years ago. “I want a Horse baby， too， because Horse babies have a good personality and enjoy better potential career success.”

　　“In order to have a Horse baby， some of my friends started trying last year. A couple of them have already succeeded. They are expecting their babies in a few months，” said Liu， smiling. “I hope I can succeed too.”

　　“If we miss the Year of the Horse， the next year will be the Year of the Sheep. Many say people born in the Year of the Sheep have less luck in their lives and careers. So we need to hurry up，” said Liu. “I know there are no scientific grounds for these beliefs， but we want to wish all the best to our baby.”

　　Indeed， the Year of the Horse will usher in a second baby boom that comes following the Year of the Dragon only two years ago. As a totemic animal which stands for power and wealth， the dragon has been loved by the Chinese people since ancient times. The Year of the Dragon was favored by many couples planning to have a baby at the time. Now the Year of the Horse is bringing about the same situation.

　　Some couples even turn to doctors in order to have a Horse baby. For instance， recently， more couples are looking for help in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Shanxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital and Shanxi Children’s Hospital.

　　They wish to have a Horse baby through artificial intervention， such as “test tube” babies， according to Wu Xueqing， director of the reproductive center. Founded in November， 2004， the center was the first in Shanxi Province to qualify for using embryo pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and assisted reproductive technology.

　　“From a medical viewpoint， I suggest that couples choose to have babies naturally at the proper time and under the best physical conditions. After all， the most important thing is that the baby is healthy，” said Wu.

　　Actually， Shanxi is not the only province to experience a baby boom. The boom experienced all over China has also brought a surge in the child care and housekeeping service market. According to a manager of a housekeeping service company in Taiyuan， capital city of Shanxi， although the year 2014 has just started， most of the company’s maternity nannies have already been booked with their average salary rising to 5，800 yuan ($959) a month.

　　In fact， the salary of maternity nannies is even higher in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai， where demand for the service is high. Their job is to provide professional care for new-born babies and the mother. In Beijing， the salary can be over 10，000 yuan ($1，654) a month.

　　Totem worship

　　“As a symbol， the Chinese zodiac is a form of cultural entertainment or a psychological need for people，” said Gao Zhuancheng， Director of the Institute of Sociology under the Shanxi Academy of Social Sciences.

　　Since ancient times， the legends and custom centering around the Chinese zodiac have been a source of imagination and an exploration of the origin of human beings. As an important part of China’s folk culture， the zodiac is deeply rooted in mythology and contains rich connotations. For instance， even today， the Chinese people still attach great importance to the year that they were born in and pay special attention to recurring years in the zodiac cycle， known as benmingnian.

　　In benmingnian， people usually， regardless of age or sex， wear red belts， socks， underwear， and wrist ornaments to exorcise evil spirits and invoke blessings throughout the year.

　　“Basically， the Chinese zodiac is an outcome of animal worship. The zodiac animals were chosen because of their close relationships with our primitive ancestors，” said Wan Jianzhong， a folk culture professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing Normal University.

　　The existence of animals was a matter of life and death in ancient times， thus a contradictory psychology was formed： On the one hand， people had to eat the animals， but on the other hand， they worshipped the animals and wished the animals could grow well so they could provide regular food and everyday articles.

　　“It was against this backdrop that the earliest zodiac and totem worshiping came into being in China，” said Wan.

　　“The characters of the animals and their connections with human beings decided the degree of the worship，” said Wan.

　　Undoubtedly， the first animals that human beings worshipped were those closest to their life， such as the ox， horse， sheep， rooster， dog， pig and rabbit. The dragon， snake and tiger are the totems of the Chinese nation. Although the dragon is a mythical creature， its mysterious authority already existed in the Chinese nation as early as 6，000 or 7，000 years ago. The monkey is the only animal similar to people， so worship of it is not surprising. The rat， which has a bad reputation， has long existed in human being’s lives， so it is also chosen as a zodiac animal.