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The popular conception of the year of the Boar/Pig seems to be

associating it with gold (metal). The California Lotto

calendar-poster depicts pig images against golden coins. It's

supposed to be a year of abundance, first metal-pig year in 69 years.

 

All three of my (randomly selected/bought) books, and the current

Wikipedia info on Chinese astrology all agree that it's a Ting-Hai

year, yin orientation and Fire element. The native element for

Boar/pig is water, which does associate with money (e.g. the fish

tank near the cash register), but that seems a little stretched, and

pertains to the pig-year every 12 years, not just across the 60-year cycle.

 

I checked and double-checked this, as the first information I had was

from a teacher, who said it's an earth-pig year. (Yet another

correspondence system). Another recent bit of information is that

a/some Taiwanese calendar system in fact correlates 2007 with the

earth (tu) element. That might help to explain why the mainlanders

are so big on the metal correspondence. (My step-daughter spent a

week there in ShenYang and Beijing in January, and reports that

public display of the pig-gold-money imagery is being played up there

big time. That suggests governmental policy.)

 

Anyone know where the discrepancy may arise?

 

 

 

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Hi Chris -

 

There is an article in the Asia Times Online about this question. Here is a

brief quote from the article and a link to it:

 

>>>In Hong Kong too, a baby boom is expected. The number of newborn babies in

this Year of the Pig could reach 73,000, more than 1% of the territory's total

population of nearly 7 million. This may ease the worry about the continuous

decrease of birth rate in the special administrative region (SAR).

 

This lunar year, however, is fraught with an especially strong dose of

astrological Viagra because it is believed to be the Year of the Golden Pig,

which - depending on the astrologer you consult - comes once every 60 or 600

years. Either way, it's a rare pig.

 

Or is it? Serious Hong Kong practitioners of the ancient art of feng shui, or

geomancy, have debunked the notion that this is a golden year, writing it off as

a commercial invention fostered by shopkeepers to boost business. The next

golden pig year, they say, will not come around until 2031.<<<

 

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Chin a/IB17Ad02.html

 

Happy New Year to all -

 

Kim Blankenship

 

< wrote:

The popular conception of the year of the Boar/Pig seems to be

associating it with gold (metal). The California Lotto

calendar-poster depicts pig images against golden coins. It's

supposed to be a year of abundance, first metal-pig year in 69 years.

 

All three of my (randomly selected/bought) books, and the current

Wikipedia info on Chinese astrology all agree that it's a Ting-Hai

year, yin orientation and Fire element. The native element for

Boar/pig is water, which does associate with money (e.g. the fish

tank near the cash register), but that seems a little stretched, and

pertains to the pig-year every 12 years, not just across the 60-year cycle.

 

I checked and double-checked this, as the first information I had was

from a teacher, who said it's an earth-pig year. (Yet another

correspondence system). Another recent bit of information is that

a/some Taiwanese calendar system in fact correlates 2007 with the

earth (tu) element. That might help to explain why the mainlanders

are so big on the metal correspondence. (My step-daughter spent a

week there in ShenYang and Beijing in January, and reports that

public display of the pig-gold-money imagery is being played up there

big time. That suggests governmental policy.)

 

Anyone know where the discrepancy may arise?

 

 

 

--

 

 

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Hi Chris,

 

Here's what I've heard. It is indeed a Fire Pig year, but Fire Pig

Year is also known as Golden Pig Year. Back in the early Tang dynasty

Emperor Zhen Guan ruled over one of the most peaceful eras in the

nation, and one year in particular, a Fire Pig Year, was especially

prosperous and was called Gold Money Year (Jin Zhu Nian

& #37329; & #29664; & #24180; & #65289; & #65292;

which happens to be the same pronounciation as Gold Pig Year

& #65288; & #37329; & #29482;

& #24180; & #65289;. So you see golden pigs all over the place here in China

(there's

a 40 foot one down the street from my house!).

 

Best,

 

Greg

 

Chinese Medicine ,

< wrote:

>

> The popular conception of the year of the Boar/Pig seems to be

> associating it with gold (metal). The California Lotto

> calendar-poster depicts pig images against golden coins. It's

> supposed to be a year of abundance, first metal-pig year in 69 years.

>

> All three of my (randomly selected/bought) books, and the current

> Wikipedia info on Chinese astrology all agree that it's a Ting-Hai

> year, yin orientation and Fire element. The native element for

> Boar/pig is water, which does associate with money (e.g. the fish

> tank near the cash register), but that seems a little stretched, and

> pertains to the pig-year every 12 years, not just across the 60-year

cycle.

>

> I checked and double-checked this, as the first information I had was

> from a teacher, who said it's an earth-pig year. (Yet another

> correspondence system). Another recent bit of information is that

> a/some Taiwanese calendar system in fact correlates 2007 with the

> earth (tu) element. That might help to explain why the mainlanders

> are so big on the metal correspondence. (My step-daughter spent a

> week there in ShenYang and Beijing in January, and reports that

> public display of the pig-gold-money imagery is being played up there

> big time. That suggests governmental policy.)

>

> Anyone know where the discrepancy may arise?

>

>

>

>

> --

>

>

> Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.1/691 - Release Date:

2/17/2007 5:06 PM

>

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Thanks for the inputs on this topics, especially

the link to the discussion group (ChinesePod).

<http://www.chinesepod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=11458#11458>

 

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 09:11:37 0000, " Greg A.

Livingston " <drlivingston wrote:

>> Back in the early Tang dynasty Emperor Zhen

Guan ruled over one of the most peaceful eras in

the nation, and one year in particular, a Fire

Pig Year, was especially prosperous and was

called Gold Money Year (Jin Zhu Nian…

 

The problem with the 600-year golden pig theory

is that this year is then only the second such

event. According to one of my books (by Derek

Walters, who has top credentials and assiduously

cites historical documents and other evidence

through his book; 11 page bibliography of Western

sources and 8-pages listing Chinese sources) the

use of the 12 animals in the calendar system (as

we know it today) dates from the late Tang, early

Song era. I.e. the 12 animals were then worked

into association with the far older Earthly

Branch 12 year system. One of the earliest

documents is a depiction of 12 deity figures with

the animal emblems on their hats, dated 978 C.E.

Prior there were various and elaborate animal

systems with 36 or 28 kinds. But, if one believes

in scientific history, the 12-animal system was

not in use in 807 (600 years increments from 1407 and 2007).

 

One entry in the ChinesePod forum (by daodeyao,

China) offers interesting information, i.e. that

the golden pig may have arose in connection with

some imperial monetary changes. He/She also

mentions Han and other pre-Tang references to

DingHai ZhuNian (years) and the transformation

from Huo (fire) to Jin (metal/gold). I would like

to see the historical basis here. One possibility

is that there was a pig-year association

independent of a full 12-animal system. Another

possibility, the older historical citations are

back-dated mythology, which we know in the

medical corpus is more common than many would like to believe.

 

Anyway, the golden pig as a boon to business,

while maybe evident in Tang times, is certainly alive and well today.

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

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