Taipei, Taiwan – IHua Wu was born in 1976, the Yr of the Dragon within the Chinese language zodiac.
The one legendary animal within the zodiac, which features a rabbit, a pig and a horse, the dragon is seen as significantly auspicious.
Wu is not sure whether or not his dad and mom deliberate for him to be born that yr – it was at the very least a pleasing shock – however different Taiwanese dad and mom actually appear to have hoped for dragon kids.
The yr 1976 was a bumper yr for infants in Taiwan – 425,125 births, up from the crude start charge of 396,479 over the Nineteen Seventies. It was a noticeable reversal from a start charge that had been slowly on the decline.
“Folks in Taiwan form of want to have children who’re dragons,” Wu mentioned, as a result of the dragon is understood to be sensible and charismatic in Chinese language folklore.
The least well-liked signal is the tiger, in contrast, with these born in these years seen as probably wild or cussed by superstitious dad and mom – or grandparents.
Whereas Wu mentioned he didn’t really feel further stress at residence to turn into a mannequin “dragon”, his zodiac signal adopted him all through his training and into maturity because of the sheer measurement of his college yr.
“As a result of we’ve got extra dragon children on this yr, we may count on for college or highschool exams … extra competitors,” he informed Al Jazeera, “Even my obligatory navy service, there have been extra alternatives to be unfortunate.”
He ended up volunteering to turn into a paratrooper fairly than danger two years stationed on certainly one of Taiwan’s lonely outlying islands, due to the bumper crop of recruits in his yr.
Dragon infants in every single place
Wu’s expertise rising up in Taiwan is one that isn’t unusual for ethnic Chinese language throughout Asia born within the Yr of the Dragon. Whereas their dad and mom could hope for an auspicious start, the affect of a small inhabitants spike can observe dragon infants all through their lives.
In 2017, researchers in Singapore studied the expertise of ethnic Chinese language “dragons” within the city-state and located that they struggled greater than different zodiac indicators – and that a few of their unhealthy luck unfold to different minority teams.
“We discover that bigger dragon cohorts face weaker instructional and financial prospects on account of higher competitors,” mentioned Tan Poh Lin, one of many authors behind the examine and a senior researcher on the Nationwide College of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew Faculty of Public Coverage.
In multiethnic Singapore, ethnic Indian and Malay Singaporeans additionally felt the knock-on impact of as many as 10 p.c extra births throughout dragon years, she mentioned. Singaporean ladies born two years later additionally confronted stiff competitors from “dragon” males who entered the workforce on the similar time, after taking day off to carry out obligatory nationwide service.
“These externalities spill over to non-Chinese language born within the dragon yr, and since males enter the labour market two years later than ladies do on account of Nationwide Service necessities, we additionally see depressed earnings amongst ladies born within the yr of the horse, their labour market co-entrants,” she mentioned by e-mail.
Tan and her workforce particularly studied Singapore, however related patterns might be seen throughout ethnic Chinese language communities and clustered across the dragon years of 1988, 2000 and 2012. One other bump is predicted to begin this week with the beginning of the brand new lunar new yr on February 10 when the following dragon yr formally begins.
A not-so-ancient custom
The Chinese language zodiac dates again at the very least 2,000 years, however the dragon child increase is a distinctively fashionable phenomenon, in accordance with researchers.
The yr of the primary dragon increase – 1976 – additionally coincided with an total upswing in East Asia and a few components of Southeast Asia as international locations lastly felt the constructive advantage of widespread post-war industrialisation. Economists even had a reputation for 4 of its greatest stars, the “Asian tigers” of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.
“These zodiac swings… began actually within the Nineteen Seventies in Chinese language societies,” mentioned professional demographer Daniel Goodkind, who has studied Chinese language zodiac start patterns.
“That is the fifth cycle the place we’re beginning to see this sample, and it’s not simply the dragon the place you see these zodiac fluctuations. In Chinese language societies, you additionally are likely to see a drop within the tiger yr two years earlier than,” he mentioned.
Whereas conducting fieldwork in Asia in 1990 on the problem – shortly after the “second dragon cycle” of 1988 – Goodkind mentioned he struggled to search out an actual reply. He recalled even asking fortune-tellers on the time in the event that they inspired dad and mom to have a “dragon” child, they’d take a look at him confused and reply” “Why are you asking me that?”
The desire “doesn’t actually come from formal rules or collective knowledge”, he mentioned. “That’s not what dad and mom are counting on. It’s extra like a folks perception primarily based on the animals themselves.”
The modern drive for dragon infants has resulted in among the best fluctuations in Malaysia and Singapore, he mentioned, though they’re felt to various levels in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand, the place at the very least 10 p.c of the inhabitants is ethnic Chinese language.
China correct has been the most recent entrant due to the impacts of the one-child coverage and the Cultural Revolution, which quickly suspended many people practices, however dad and mom there at the moment are additionally searching for dragon infants.
Certainly, fairly than disappear with different superstitions, astrology has solely turn into extra well-liked with the passing many years – each in Asia and past, in accordance with Singapore’s Tan.
“Amongst prosperous and well-educated populations from East to West, astrological providers have turn into closely commercialised as a type of leisure, social exercise and perception system parallel to organised faith,” Tan mentioned. “In Singapore, for instance, it’s simple to search out on-line each day horoscope and almanac apps or walk-in feng shui consultancies for recommendation on issues akin to couple compatibility, auspicious dates for main occasions and child identify choice.”
In Asia, these practices even lengthen to fashionable buildings and skyscrapers, incorporating conventional Chinese language beliefs round feng shui, or the follow of making concord within the setting. In ultramodern Hong Kong, many buildings famously have “dragon holes” permitting the legendary beast passage to close by mountains.
Different buildings, like Hong Kong’s HSBC headquarters and Taiwan’s tallest constructing, Taipei 101, have been constructed with a number of references to feng shui and conventional Chinese language symbolism.
Dragons proceed to reign
Regardless of the notable enhance in competitors in some international locations, it’s not all doom and gloom for each dragon child.
Herman Wu, who was additionally born in 1976, informed Al Jazeera that whereas his college yr was considerably bigger and extra aggressive, there have been additionally some advantages.
“Some conventional rituals require the zodiac signal to be the auspicious dragon. For instance, in the course of the wedding ceremony ceremony, when the bride arrives on the groom’s residence, kids with the zodiac signal of the dragon are wanted to greet the bride,” he mentioned.
For this service, he would obtain a “pink envelope” with some money inside, incomes him pocket cash all through his childhood. Pink is taken into account a fortunate color amongst Chinese language and pink envelopes are additionally given to youthful folks by their elders in the course of the Lunar New Yr festivities.
Even much less conventional Taiwanese are thrilled about the opportunity of a dragon child.
Cici Jiang, a 34-year-old expectant mom, informed Al Jazeera she was excited that her child boy can be born in March – effectively into the yr of the dragon.
Whereas Jiang mentioned she had not deliberate for a dragon child, lots of the different ladies in her being pregnant chat group had.
“All of the others used IVF to get pregnant, they have been all excited to have a dragon child, however they ended up having their infants earlier than the lunar new yr, so the infants’ zodiac indicators have been nonetheless thought of rabbits,” she mentioned.
Folks born in rabbit years are mentioned to be mild and inventive. Whereas additionally it is an auspicious signal, it doesn’t fairly meet the status of being a dragon.
“I’m the one one who’s going to have a dragon child boy. Folks have been telling me how fortunate I’m. I really feel very blessed,” Jiang mentioned.
