Chinese New Year is almost here and according to the Chinese horoscope, 2021 is the Year of the Ox. More specifically, the Metal Ox. So what does that mean?

Whether you believe in Chinese horoscopes or not, in China, when locals ask a person their age, instead of saying the number, they say what year they were born. And more often than not, someone will be quick to figure out exactly what zodiac animal you are.

In Chinese culture, the Ox is a valued animal. Because of its role in agriculture, positive characteristics, such as being hardworking and honest, are attributed to it.

Oxen used to be used in farming, which attaches to the symbol of diligence, persistence, and honesty. In Chinese culture, Ox is a faithful friend that made great contributions to the development of society. Like the ox, people born in the Year of the Ox are industrious, cautious, hold their faith firmly, and always glad to offer help. They believe that everyone should do what’s asked of them and stay within their bounds. Though they are kind, it’s difficult for them to understand persuasion using pathos. Rarely losing your temper, they think logically and make great leaders.

So how did the Chinese zodiac order come to be?

The Ox comes after the Rat. It’s believed that the Ox ranks second among the Chinese zodiacs because it helped the Rat during the race but was later tricked by the Rat. The myth goes that the Jade Emperor declared the order of zodiac signs would be based on the arrival orders of 12 animals. Ox could have arrived the first but it kindly gave a ride to Rat. However, at the sight of the finish line, Rat just jumped to the terminus ahead of Ox, and thus Ox lost first place.

What can this year’s Oxen expect in 2021?

Compatibility

Most compatible with Ox: Rat, Snake, Rooster
Rat’s fixed Earthly Branch is water, while Ox is earth. They have complementing personalities and hold the same goals in life. Snake and Rooster fit Ox nicely as well. Not only will Snakes give warmth and romance, but they also offer help and support in work too. Honest and loyal, they can also be attracted to the Rooster’s soft and loving heart.

Least compatible with Ox: Goat, Horse, Dog
The Earthly Branches of Goat and Ox clash strongly. They can tolerate each other’s differences, but there will always be tension. Horses have a free and wild spirit, and may not have a serious attitude toward life. This is the opposite of an Ox’s personality. With Dogs, it’s hard to find common ground.

Education

The Ox may find it more challenging to make progress in their studies this year. The Ox has an inherently strong work ethic, which helps bring a sense of steadiness to your learning journey. However, even with the promised stability, you need to do the groundwork for future actions.

You may find yourself choosing between different paths in your education this year, such as transferring to a different school, deciding on a major, or choosing a new advisor. Keep a level head while weighing these decisions. If you are prudent in your decision making this year, your efforts will pay off in time.

Relationship

Oxen may find it difficult to further improve the relationship with your partner this year. Hiccups in your relationship may affect your mental state, and certain events may seem out of your control.
Your partner might stray or harbor selfish ambitions during this time. Be patient. These hardships will pass in time. Though your road may be rocky, love and kindness will always bring you back together.
Unfortunately, the single Ox will not have much luck in love this year. Between their traditionally passive personalities and this year’s bad luck, this year will be a disappointing one for romance.
Consider taking this year to focus on learning more about yourself. Figure out what you want in love and what you can bring to a relationship. Love will come eventually, but this year may not be the right time.

Health

Be careful with your health this year. In Ben Ming Nian (birth year), the Ox’s fortunes will become precarious. You will be more prone to catching minor infections this year, so make it a point to schedule routine checkups.
Tai Sui (the guardian God for everything, including one’s health, wealth, career, and marriage) will throw many curve balls at you this year, and these may cause you stress and anxiety. Ailments can lead to more serious problems if left untreated, so rest whenever you find the time to do so. Try to exercise more often, and stay away from risky activities whenever possible.

Lifestyle
Chinese astrology predicts that this year will start on a relatively low note for the Ox. Ben Ming Nian’s conflict with Tai Sui will bring significant instability to your fortunes, and you can easily encounter something unexpected if you act rashly.

This should not prevent you from working on personal development and living your best life, however. If you ever get into trouble, do your best to adapt to the situation. With some hard work and determination, you’ll find your way out again.

Stay calm, and be patient with yourself—the wheel of fortune will turn in your favor soon enough.

Other Oxens you might have heard of:
Napoleon, Walt Disney, Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama, Gerald Ford, Bruno Mars, Charlie Chaplin, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Dustin Hoffman, Vincent Van Gogh, and Princess Diana.

KEEP READING: The Chinese Zodiac Explained

Source: chinesenewyear.net
Images: www.123rf.com

Ah, the Chinese New Year holiday… The week where business in China seems to come to a halt and the annual homeward bound migration takes place all over the country. This holiday used to mean that you need to stock on groceries because all your local shops will be closed, but not anymore. Most larger supermarkets will be open, and there’s always the food delivery apps that are working overtime.

While it’s time for China’s largest annual travel, COVID-19 has put a major damper on things and many are choosing to stay put even though it means not seeing their families for the holiday.

For those with full-time live in ayis, Chinese New Year can be a challenging time each year. Not only are you left to manage home and family on your own for a week, but there’s also always the question of whether your ayi will actually return after the CNY holiday. While it seems like a no-brainer that you should return to work after a long 10 day holiday, there are ayis who will choose to resign during CNY after receiving their holiday hongbao to spend more time with their families in their hometown, since in past years it’s never been difficult to find new employment after returning to Beijing.

This year, however, there are ayis who are choosing to stay in Beijing rather than make the trip home due to COVID-19. So what do you do when ayi chooses to stay at your home but isn’t working?

In China, if an employee is working during the public holiday they’re paid three times their normal salary. But if you didn’t ask ayi to stay and she’s not expected to work during CNY, are you expected to still pay her? No.

Recently a friend told me her live-in ayi has been foregoing going home on her weekly day off to avoid coming into contact with anyone with COVID-19. To make ayi feel more comfortable, she and her husband have been taking their newborn daughter out during the day to let their ayi stay home with some peace and quiet. While that might work for weekly day trips, it’s not a solution for the cold, 10-day CNY holiday.

If your live-in ayi wants to stay and work during CNY, what are your options?

Double or Triple Pay

If money isn’t an issue then you can work out either paying ayi double or triple her regular salary to stay and work during CNY. Note: The holiday hongbao shouldn’t be included. That’s their annual bonus and should be paid separately. Check out our blog on how much to pay for the different types of ayis.

Double Time Off

If ayi prefers to stay and work during CNY she can trade her working days for double the number of days off to be taken later when it’s safer to travel.

Partial Working Days

Ayi can rest for three (or whatever number you both decide on) days with regular pay and keep working the remainder of the holiday.

Obviously, you’re not going to let your hourly ayi stay at your home to avoid traveling during CNY. But if your live-in ayi is from somewhere that’s considered high risk and she’s choosing to stay in Beijing rather than return home, appreciate the fact that she’s putting health and safety first and make the most of your time together during the CNY holiday.

Since most people with live-in ayis have children at home, it could be a great time for the kids to learn more about ayi’s hometown and the unique holiday traditions that she grew up with. There’s no need to make it awkward and avoid the house just because ayi is there on her day off. The live-in ayi employee/employer relationship is different than that of a normal nine-to-five job. Ayi is involved in almost every aspect of your life here and becoming friends with your ayi makes communicating that much more natural and your time together more fun and educational.

KEEP READING: Are You Paying Your Ayi Enough? the Results of Our Survey Are In

Images: Pexels

Beijingkids has been an essential family resource for Beijing international families since 2006. And just as kids grow up in the blink of an eye, Beijing has grown and changed almost beyond recognition in that time. In Throwback Thursday we jump in the time machine, traveling through our 14 year-strong blog archives to dig out the most entertaining, fascinating, and thought-provoking stories for your reading pleasure. Ready? Let’s go…

One of the things that everyone associates with Chinese New Year is hongbao (红包) — money-filled red packets given to family, friends, colleagues, and employees. Every year around this time I always find myself checking in with others about how much to put in the envelopes. I don’t want to give too much and make others uncomfortable, but I also don’t want to give too little and look like a cheapskate.

Before you channel your inner Oprah and start handing out hongbao to everyone you see, there’s some local etiquette that you need to know.

• If you’re a student and not working yet, your parents aren’t expecting a hongbao from you nor are your nieces or nephews. In some families, regardless of age, students are still considered children and will still receive hongbao from their elders.
• If you’re working, then the children of your Chinese colleagues will be expecting hongbao if you see them on Chinese New Year’s Eve, day, or if you’re invited to a celebration dinner. Bumping into them on the street doesn’t count.
• If you’re married, you should definitely prepare a hongbao for your in-laws, but the best thing to do is to defer to your Chinese spouse because they’d know their family better than anyone.
• Avoid giving amounts in fours (ie: RMB 4, RMB 40, RMB 400) because four sounds like “die” in Mandarin.
  On the other hand, the number six is considered lucky. Amounts like RMB 6, RMB 66, RMB 666 are all lucky amounts.
• Avoid giving an amount in odd numbers because locals believe that good things come in pairs.

Apps like WeChat and Alipay have already made lives easier and this includes giving hongbao. You no longer need to buy actual red envelopes and go get cash from the ATM. Giving out money is just a few clicks away. But this year, with COVID-19, there are likely to be far fewer Chinese New Year gatherings, which begs the question: do virtual greetings require a hongbao? If so, what type? There are the people who spam their entire contact list with some kind of emoji adorned generic message and ones who spam with a sticker. Do they get hongbao? Probably not. Then there are the people who actually take time to text or video chat you. Hongbao worthy? Maybe…

When it comes to the people who make your life in Beijing easier — ayis, drivers, tutors, pet sitters, and trainers, to name but a few — you should definitely prepare a hongbao, but the amount varies. For those with full-time staff, the Chinese New Year hongbao is their annual bonus and a 13th-month salary is considered standard. But what about those whose full-time staff just started working for them or those with part-time staff?

According to one British mom of two living in Shunyi who makes between RMB 500,000 to RMB 1,000,000+ per year, “If my ayi has been with me for more than one year then I am happy to give a 13th-month salary. If my ayi has only been with me for six months or so, I’ll give her RMB 3,000. For the kids’ tutor, I will give RMB 2,000.”

But not every family in Beijing is in the same income bracket. According to a mixed American and Chinese couple living in the CBD with an annual income of between RMB 200,000 to RMB 500,000 per year, “We have a part-time ayi who doesn’t come on a regular basis, so during Chinese New Year, we give her an RMB 500 hongbao. For the nieces and nephews, we only give them a hongbao if we actually see them in person. Sending us a Happy Chinese New Year sticker over WeChat won’t get them a hongbao.”

When it comes to hongbaos, there’s no exact formula. But, there is crowdsourced information! Take a look at the poll below and let us know how you’re planning on packing your hongbao this Chinese New Year.

One final tip I always give around this time of the year is to always carry some hongbao with you. They don’t need to be thick, a few RMBs will do. It’s not uncommon for people to bring their kids unannounced to things, and you don’t want to see a little kid feel left out of the festivities simply because you didn’t know they were coming.

KEEP READING: 11-Year-Old Gives Away RMB 9,000 of Mom’s Money in Hongbaos

Images: The Independent, Mina Yan