Vol.
8 #3, January 2009
Happy Year of the Ox
 Mark
your calendars – The Chinese year 4707 begins on Monday, January
26, 2009. The traditional Chinese New Year’s celebration is
15 days long. Although the recommended government holiday runs
from January 25 to January 31, business is typically slow until the
traditional holiday ends on February 9. In addition, many
manufacturing facilities have longer holidays because of the movement
of the traveling population, estimated to be about one billion people,
as they return home for the holidays. The unofficial
worker’s “Spring Festival transport” period will run
from January 11 to February 19, 2009.
Travelers to China should also be aware that just prior and just
following the holidays, internal transportation ticket prices will be
high and in short supply. It is easy for travelers to become
stranded, especially when returning to larger cities, unless they have
purchased tickets in advance. It is a good idea to send New
Year’s greetings to Chinese customers and associates, but do not
expect to conduct serious business during this time.
The coming year will be the Year of the Ox, according to the Chinese
zodiac. People born during a Year of the Ox are said to be
honest, trustworthy, straightforward, and down-to-earth. People
born under this sign have strong emotional feelings but tend to be
quiet. They don't rush into friendships, but once a friendship is
established they are intensely loyal. That loyalty works in
reverse too. If you cross them, they can become an enemy for
life. Ox people can be late developers, often finding success
later in life.
They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people.
Famous people born in the year of the Ox include President-elect Barack
Obama, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, boxer Oscar De
La Hoya, soccer star Wayne Rooney, actor George Clooney, and Bollywood
star Aishwarya Rai.
If you were born in any of the following time periods, you are an Ox:
- January 25, 1925 - February 12, 1926
- February 11, 1937 - January 30, 1938
- January 29, 1949 – February 16, 1950
- February 15, 1961 - February 4, 1962
- February 3, 1973 - January 22, 1974
- February 20, 1985 - February 8, 1986
- February 8, 1997 - January 27, 1998.
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