Great vid, for an ad.
Last year’s thread: Chinese New Year 2015 - Year of the RAM
More to come.
A barrel of Monkeys
That’s all we need…more monkeys. :rolleyes:
The Year of the Monkey Could Mean a Chinese Baby Boom
Natasha Khan January 17, 2016 — 1:29 PM PST Updated on January 17, 2016 — 9:50 PM PST
Merck KGaA reports stronger 3Q fertility-drug sales in China
Maternity hospital group says bookings increased by up to 30%
Those born in the year of the monkey are said to be crafty, clever and charming. That’s spurred some couples in China to delay parenthood until the less-auspicious sheep year ends – a balm for companies offering fertility products and obstetric services.
The change in the Chinese zodiac from sheep to monkey, which happens this year on Feb. 8, has helped boost maternity bookings by as much as 30 percent at Harmonicare Medical Holdings Ltd.’s 72-bed hospital in Beijing, the company said. German drugmaker Merck KGaA said sales of fertility-related medications increased in China late last year as couples sought to build the ranks of little monkeys.
Harmonicare, China’s largest private obstetrics and gynecology hospital group, is renovating wards in its Beijing and Wuhan centers, adding beds and hiring medical staff on expectation of a busier year. It expects the advent of the country’s two-child policy will add to a monkey-baby drive.
“The number of obstetric deliveries will surely see substantial growth in the 2016 year of the monkey,” said Chen Wei, vice-president of the Beijing-based company, in an e-mail. “In Chinese tradition, sheep-year babies are seen as less auspicious than those born in other years, so many families delayed their reproductive plans so their kids could be born after that.”
A newborn intensive care unit. Source: Harmonicare Medical Holdings
Emperor Dragons
While the year of the monkey isn’t considered the most desirable among the 12 zodiac signs, it’s sandwiched between the years of the sheep – sometimes referred to as a goat – and the chicken, which can be seen by some as less favorable. The most auspicious year is that of the dragon, a symbol of China’s emperors and synonymous with power and wealth. The last dragon year, in 2012, sparked a 1.9 percent jump in births in China.
Birth years – whether deemed lucky or not – don’t always have a corresponding effect on fertility. In the last monkey year, in 2004, the number of births in China decreased by 0.37 percent in the wake of a SARS epidemic that killed more than 600 people on the mainland.
Superstition persists in China. The impact on births though is difficult to gauge or predict, said Joy Huang, the Shanghai-based research manager at Euromonitor International. “For example, we expected fewer babies to be born in the goat year, whereas we found out that the birth rate wasn’t severely impacted,” she said.
Two-Child Policy
Still, many couples in China waited until last May to fall pregnant, Marcus Kuhnert, chief financial officer of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck, told analysts on a Nov. 12 conference call to discuss third-quarter earnings. “And since then indeed we saw a strong take-up of the business,” he said, without elaborating.
Deliveries in the coming year may be bolstered by the commencement on Jan. 1 of the government’s two-child policy, a relaxation of previous population curbs. The change will result in 3 million to 6 million more babies each year starting in 2017, Credit Suisse Group AG estimated in October. Suppliers of baby milk formula, diapers and certain medications will directly benefit.
A higher birth rate may add about 3 percentage points to the sales of baby-related products, including skincare, Euromonitor’s Huang said. The research firm predicts baby food sales, including milk formula and dried food, will reach 307.8 billion yuan ($46.7 billion) by 2020, more than double the 133.5 billion yuan it estimates was sold in 2015.
Diapers
Other companies that stand to benefit include formula companies, such as Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.,and diaper maker Hengan International Group Co.
Provisions for a second child may increase the number of older women seeking to become pregnant, said Merck, whose fertility products include Gonal-f, used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs in women and to spur sperm production in men.
The increasing cost of raising children in China may narrow the number of couples seeking a second child to higher income-earners, said Harmonicare’s Chen. The shares were down 1.2 percent at HK$6.85 in Hong Kong as of 1:00 p.m. local time, while the Hang Seng index fell 0.65 percent.
“Under the two-child policy, those who choose to have a second child are mainly from more affluent families,” he said. “Since we’re in the mid-to-high end, most of them are our potential customers.”
Nice ad
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1289903]Great vid, for an ad.
More to come.[/QUOTE]
Nice ad, Gene. This guy is probably my favorite Sun Wu Kong ever.
Didn’t even know this was a thing…
Internet tycoons are weird all around the world.
LOOK: Chinese internet tycoons get dressed up for corporate CNY galas
As part of Chinese New Year celebrations, those at the very top of some of China’s largest companies will be dressing up to appear as the star of the company gala. Here’s a selection of some of the best outfits from previous years.
A frequent staple at the annual gala are figures from Chinese history. Here is Giant Interactive president Shi Yuzhu’s tribute to the Jade Emperor.
And Xiaomi founder Lei Jun’s took the role of Caishen, the Chinese deity of wealth.
Netease CEO Ding Lei turned up as a “Chinese zombie” to his company’s event in 2014.
Baidu chairman Robin Li once masqueraded as Zorro back in 2012.
He also happens to be a pretty awesome drummer.
But despite the stiff competition, the man to steal the show is everyone’s favorite internet tycoon Jack Ma, who delighted audiences when he turned up in a lovely frilly dress.
Who is the fairest of them all? You decide. We just hope that 2016 will live up to expectations.
[Images via DFIC / Xinhua]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 21, 2016 11:00 PM
Our Chinese New Year T-shirts are in!
Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com’s contest for 2 YEAR OF THE MONKEY T-SHIRTS from KungFuMagazine.com! Contest ends 5:30 p.m. PST on 2/4/2016.
That’s one fugly monkey
Ours are better:
Year of the Fire Monkey
Year of the Monkey King
Tumor-Laden Monkey Is Your New Spring Festival Gala Mascot
Design widely criticized
Charles Liu, January 22, 2016 11:31am
Spring Festival has long been known as the traditional time of year when Chinese families gather and celebrate. And yet, it’s also the night that hosts the biggest show of the year, the four-hour long celebrity-studded CCTV Spring Festival gala, a nationally-televised variety show crammed full of as much singing, cross-talk, and patriotic displays as anyone can muster.
As seen from past years, every Chinese New Year means the new gala must somehow be bigger and more entertaining than the year before, manifesting itself in fantastic sets with numerous video displays or elevating floors.
This year, as China celebrates the Year of the Monkey, the CCTV Spring Festival gala looks to up its showmanship by introducing the second mascot ever used by the gala in its history, Kangkang. The monkey mascot was designed by the same person who designed the Fuwa mascots for the Olympic games, Han Meilin.
And yet, there seems to be some major differences between what Han designed using watercolors (shown above), and what CCTV recently revealed as the mascot design for the show (shown below):
As far as first impressions go, there seems to be some kind of disconnect between Han’s initial watercolor design and the finished 3D model that will presumably provide the basis for the mascot costume. It’s as though someone simply took Han’s design and used it as a head, and then added another body below it. While the two round balls under the monkey’s cheeks made it to the final design, the use of yellow and green as subtle highlights did not.
In the hour since CCTV posted the design to its Weibo account, the post has received over 5,400 comments over the design that overwhelmingly disapprove:
[QUOTE]_(top rated comment on CCTV Weibo post)
Upvote me if you don’t think this is any good…
So ugly!
Nickal_Xcc
Spring gala stoplight
V
I like to think of the two “balls” under the monkey’s face in the hand-painted design are his hands, and not two tumors growing out of his face (as seen in the 3D model).
Excuse me? Who decided this??? The 3D model version is ugly without peer??? Aren’t the two furry round things underneath the monkey his hands??? What’s the meaning of those tumors on the monkey’s face?
_
The 3D model sucks!!! (repeated)
In a former life, the designer surely was a traffic cop.
The vision of our leaders is genuinely unique!
This color combination… can’t they just do a normal monkey?
TysSSS-
In a word… ugly.
Jay
Who cares who designed it since it’s so ugly anyways.
will-djx
This is, without a doubt, the ugliest monkey I have ever seen.
The unanimous outpouring of dissent is really too bad when considering what kind of monkey Kangkang is. As revealed along with his design, Kangkang was born on Mount Huaguo and has one dream: “for everyone to be happy”.
Source: CCTV, Southern Metropolis Report, China News Network, Caijing
Photos: CCTV
Charles Liu
The Nanfang’s Senior Editor
[/QUOTE]
And these are fugly kicks
WTH? Why does Monkey art suck so much so far?
JANUARY 20, 2016
JORDAN BRAND CELEBRATES THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
Long recognized as a Chinese invention, the kite has deep cultural meaning representing promises of good luck and well wishes. Originating from the dream to fly, kites developed into techical instruments used to measure distances and test wind speed.
The kite and its uplifting significance now come to life in the Air Jordan V Retro Low and Jordan Super.Fly 4 PO, celebrating the Chinese New Year with kite-inspired graphics and corresponding tones.
The Jordan Chinese New Year graphic integrates cues from the Air Jordan V, including the shoe’s midsole design and outsole pattern. A hidden basketball court is found in the center of the graphic and includes inspirations from fighter jets and traditional Chinese kites.
JORDAN SUPER.FLY 4 PO
THE JORDAN SUPER.FLY 4 PO FEATURES A FLIGHT WEB FIT SYSTEM FOR SUPERIOR LOCK-DOWN AND FLIGHTSPEED TECHNOLOGY FOR AN EXPLOSIVE FIRST STEP.
The Air Jordan V Retro Low and Jordan Super.Fly 4 PO Chinese New Year shoes will release on Jordan.com and select global retail locations on January 23.
This Year of the Monkey…
…is starting out really weird. 
Monkey King masked models cruise around ski slope in underwear, scare the beejezus out of everyone
To promote its slopes, a ski resort in Henan went with the tried and true tactic of hiring girls in skimpy clothing; however, with the Year of the Monkey coming up they decided to get creative and had the lovely ladies wear Monkey King masks as well. Here is the result:
KILL IT WITH FIRE!
Somehow, the ladies attracted some attention cruising around on snowmobiles in minus 15 degree temperatures. Honestly, we sure as hell would be skiing as fast as we could the other way.
Different strokes for different folks?
[Images via China News]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on Jan 25, 2016 11:30 PM
More on Kang Kang
God-awful monkey mascot for 2016 Spring Festival Gala shredded mercilessly by Chinese netizens
Meet Kang Kang, China’s mascot for this year’s Spring Festival Gala. If you aren’t a fan of the design, well, you’re not alone. After his unveiling last week, Chinese social media was flooded with criticism over the 3D uglification of the original sorta cute monkey design.
Ironically, Kang Kang’s name translates to “healthy” in English, but one can suppose it’s hard to have any faith in a creature that seems to have both the colors of jaundice and chemical poisoning spilled evenly on both sides of its creepy face.
Web users also couldn’t help but notice the monkey’s resemblance to a stoplight, with one netizen deeming it: “The monster of traffic lights!” Another reckoned that it had to be “designed by a traffic cop.”
Photoshopped images of Kang Kang show some much better attempts at design from online users, with one even managing to craft an adorable Kang Kang head:
The Spring Festival Gala on CCTV has been a Chinese tradition since 1983. Last year’s sheep mascot was the first one to be shown on the show.
The original designer of the monkey, Han Meilin, who also designed the 2008 Beijing Olympic mascots, said through WeChat that he was only responsible for the monkey’s head and had no input on the final version.
In the Chinese Zodiac, the monkey is a symbol of wisdom, and Han claimed his own design combines Chinese tradition with the atmosphere of new year and the childish traits of China’s most famous monkey, the Monkey King, from the literary epic “Journey to the West.”
“I would like to take this chance to promote the image of monkey as a Chinese cultural icon around the world,” he said. “Disney is famous for a mouse. So why should’t we create a monkey?”
But not all netizens hate the design, with one tolerant soul saying: “I think the original painting of the monkey’s face is OK, before they made it into a figure.”
Well, whoever chose the final design clearly wasn’t born in the Year of the Monkey, as this choice was far from wise, though to be honest, it’s not as bad as this one.
By Kitty Lai
[Images via Weibo]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 26, 2016 8:30 PM
Reminds me a little of the Fuwa for the Beijing Olympics
Some nice monkey bling
Nicer than our T-shirts (Fire Monkey & Monkey King) but considerably more expensive. :eek:
JAN 3, 2016 @ 09:01 AM
Year Of The Monkey Luxury Watches
Anthony DeMarco
CONTRIBUTOR
I’m on the luxury jewelry beat.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
No sooner than we finished with one new year’s celebration it’s time to prepare for another. The Chinese New Year, also known as the lunar new year or spring festival, will be held February 8.
This year is the Year of the Monkey, in accordance with the Chinese zodiac. The day is celebrated with families getting together to eat foods that bring luck, present small amounts of money to children and exchange gifts.
Even though the growth in the Chinese economy is slowing and the government has imposed austerity measures, there are still plenty of wealthy people within the country willing to spend on lavish gifts. Luxury watch brands have created timepieces with specially designed dials interpreting the monkey in ways that are historically and culturally meaningful. Among the timepieces available for sale are the following:
Ulysse Nardin Year of the Monkey Classico
The watch brand describes the monkey depicted on the dial as “playful and happy.” It’s designed in a comic strip-like style to capture the lively creature’s character as it appears to leap through a brush of palm fronds.
The champlevé method of enameling brings the artist’s sketch to life. The technique consists of cells being carved with a chisel directly on the dial and filled with enamel. Its colors are generated from different metallic oxides, and for this piece, a neutral palette is used. It is then fired until the enamel melts. It is mastered in-house at Donzé Cadrans, a member of the Ulysse Nardin group of companies.
The 40 mm 18k rose gold timepiece is powered by the UN-815 automatic movement with a COSC-certified chronometer. It is limited to 88 pieces.
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey
The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – 2016 the year of the monkey
Vacheron Constantin master engravers and enamelers interpreted paper cutting techniques in China and Switzerland in the creation of this limited-edition timepiece.
The foliage motif on the dial is based on classic Chinese iconography that is etched directly in the metal. The pattern remains semi-embedded and stands out from its gold base by accentuating reliefs, making the vegetation appear to be floating over the dial.
Next is the Grand Feu enameling, applying the enamel in successive layers to enhance the intensity of the blue or bronze-toned dial before being fired at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees Celsius. The monkey, made of platinum or gold, is hand engraved and applied to the dial center.
The 40 mm timepiece is powered by the Caliber 2460 G4 movement. It is limited to 12 pieces in platinum and 12 in pink gold.
Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36mm
The ladies timepiece has a pink mother-of-pearl dial, enhanced with flecks of 24k gold, each set in individually carved hollows to create a pink and gold constellation. An 18k gold monkey with a diamond for an eye hangs against this luminous, as if grasping the bezel at 9 o’clock, while his tail winds around an emerald-cut diamond at 12 o’clock. Appliqué and marquise-cut openwork create a scene inspired by Jianzhi, an ancient Chinese art form.
The rose gold timepiece is powered by the HW2008 automatic movement. The bezel, lugs and buckle are set with 74 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 2.47 carats. It comes with a black satin strap.
It is available in a limited edition of eight pieces.
Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi “Year of the Monkey”
This timepiece features a Urushi lacquered dial, hand-crafted in Japan by a master lacquer artist. It depicts a red-coated monkey perched on a branch laden with fruit. It is gathering peaches beneath a golden sky ablaze with the last rays of the sun. Behind it, golden valleys compose a warm scene in soft tones.
Urushi lacquer comes from the sap of the “lacquer” or “Japanese varnish” tree. The transparent lacquer is applied in extremely fine layers that contain gold dust motifs created using the meticulous Maki-e technique.
To create the dial and case, Chopard worked with the firm Yamada Heiando, official purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. Master Kilchiro Masumura designed and supervised the creation of the dials, executed by Master Minori Koizumi, an Urushi master.
The 39.5 mm 18k rose gold timepiece is powered by the L.U.C 96.17-L automatic movement.
Another fugly monkey
Which is uglier? Beijing, Taipei both unveil appalling mascots for Monkey Year
29 January 2016 14:57 Vivienne Zeng 2 min read
Last week, when China’s state broadcaster CCTV unveiled a mascot for its upcoming annual gala to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, the internet was universally appalled. The red, yellow and green cartoon monkey, called Kang Kang, looks like a traffic light gone mad.
CCTV’s Monkey Year mascot Kang Kang. Photo: Weibo.
Besides a face split right down the middle, Kang Kang also has two tumour-like round balls growing on his cheeks. Authorities later explained the designer wanted to convey the image of a cute monkey with a mouth so full of food that his cheeks swell. The internet obviously did not get that impression.
But if you think Kang Kang is the ugliest monkey on earth, you may want to think again. This week, Taipei released its own mascot for the Taiwan Lantern Festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and it sparked a debate among netizens across the Taiwan Strait – is this a bigger abomination than Kang Kang?
Taipei’s Fulu Monkey. Photo: Taiwan Lantern Festival.
The “Fulu Monkey”, a combination of a gourd and a monkey face, was meant to represent both the monkey year and auspiciousness as the gourd in traditional Chinese culture is linked to good luck and career success. However, the internet sees it as more like the lovechild of a teletubbie and a rubber duck.
The “Fulu Monkey” is expected to appear as a 14-metre-tall light sculpture in Taipei. Taiwan netizens are certainly not looking forward to it. Some said they felt sorry for laughing at the CCTV monkey last week. Others mocked: “This is convenient, change the face and you can use it for 12 years.”
Taipei’s Fulu Monkey. Photo: Taiwan Lantern Festival.
A local news website reported the story with the headline: “Why do we hate monkeys?” Mainland netizens responded by saying China and Taiwan have the same kind of taste. “We are one big family after all.”
When we embarked on developing our Fire Monkey and Monkey King T-shirts for 2016, it was a no-brainer as the Monkey King is such a great symbol. How is it China is messing up their monkeys?
This week, it begins…
You’d think the fire monkey would come in a little hotter…
China braces for 2.9 billion trips made during Chinese New Year celebrations
by AP News | 31st January 2016 | @AP
Chinese traditional red lanterns in Beijing. Pic: AP
BEIJING (AP) — China’s peak travel season is kicking into high gear this weekend as hundreds of millions of people return home for Spring Festival celebrations — or head for vacation destinations domestic and abroad.
According to the Ministry of transport, Chinese travelers are expected to make 2.9 billion trips during the 40-day period between Jan. 21 and March 3, with the majority of those trips falling in the weeks around the Feb. 8 Lunar New Year.
The country’s transportation infrastructure has struggled for years to handle what is considered the largest annual human migration on Earth, but a combination of improved online ticketing and a lackluster economy — meaning fewer migrant workers on the road — has mitigated the travel crush.
Snow chaos at the start of China’s Lunar New Year
Wintry weather in central China’s Hubei province causes widespread disruption, affecting millions.
Steff Gaulter | 01 Feb 2016 13:39 GMT
Planes were cancelled, roads were closed and train passengers faced long delays as the snow fell [EPA]
Thousands of travellers were stranded as thick snow blanketed parts of central China.
In the province of Hubei, Wuhan’s airport was forced to close, cancelling dozens of flights and leaving thousands of people stranded.
Trains faced major delays and a major expressway linking Hubei to its neighbouring province of Jiangxi ground to a halt.
In Jiangxi itself, the snow forced the closure of a number of roads, including four major expressways.
The disruption happened at the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is a time when millions of people travel to see their friends and family, and is considered to be the largest annual human migration.
Chinese travellers are expected to make almost three billion trips during the 40-day period surrounding the festivities, with most of the trips falling in the week of February 8, the start of the Year of the Monkey.
Fortunately, the forecast for the region looks more favourable over the next few days. The snow cleared from the region on Monday, and no further heavy snow is expected this week.
However, temperatures will drop below freezing during the night, so there could be a problem with ice.
Year of the Monkey T-Shirts
What a nightmare
And I’ve been worried about Superbowl traffic. :o
Guangzhou: Heavy snows strand more than 100,000 people at southern China train station
‘There are too many people and it is too crowded’
Adam Withnall @adamwithnall 8 hours ago
Passengers wait to enter a railway station after trains were delayed due to bad weather in southern China in Guangzhou Reuters
More than 100,000 people have been stranded at a train station in southern China after heavy snows disrupted public transport in the run-up to Chinese New Year.
The holiday seasons sees hundreds of millions of migrant workers make long journeys home to celebrate with their families – but it has coincided with some of the worst winter weather conditions across eastern Asia for a generation.
Videos and images posted to social media showed officials struggling to control vast crowds outside the central railway station in Guangzhou, where there were significant delays.
About 176,000 passengers had reportedly been due to pass through the station on Monday alone, and numbers began to pile up after a rare bout of freezing snow saw at least 23 trains delayed.
According to the Xinhua news agency, emergency measures were put in place to try and control passengers outside the station and “avoid the dangers of overcrowding”.
State broadcasters said more than 50,000 were stranded, but other local and international media put the number above 100,000 at its peak.
“There are too many people and it is too crowded,” one stranded passenger, who was not named, told CCTV.
Xinhua has said the country is bracing for record levels of passengers this year, as people brave the travel chaos lasting about 40 days around the New Year itself, which falls this year on 8 February.
Nice of Deadpool
PRC isn’t allowing Deadpool to be distributed in there. :rolleyes:
A barrel of monkey babies
3 FEB 2016 - 8:55PM
Chinese baby boom expected in Year of the Monkey
Hundreds of thousands of people in China are preparing to usher in the Year of the Monkey, and for many hopeful parents, it’s a good year to have baby.
By Katrina Yu
3 FEB 2016 - 8:14 PM UPDATED YESTERDAY 8:55 PM
Not only is the Monkey Year an auspicious time to give birth, it’s also the first opportunity for many families to have more than one child, with China ending it’s one-child policy last year.
Daisy Yuan never thought she would have a second child. The Beijing resident is currently five months pregnant, and already mother to three-year-old Niu Niu.
“It was actually an accident and something I didn’t consider. But when it happened I spoke with my parents and husband and we realised that it was a good opportunity for Niu Niu to have a companion,” Yuan says.
Daisy Yuan and her three-year-old son Niu Niu. (SBS News)
The 33-year-old fell pregnant just after the Chinese government ended it’s long-held one child policy in October last year.
“I’m very happy, and it’s a monkey which is lucky. Monkey children are said to be smart and joyful, also energetic,” she says.
The new Lunar New Year will end the year of the sheep, a less desirable birth year according to Chinese astrology, and usher in the year of the monkey.
The lucky zodiac combined with the new policy have many predicting a bumper year for babies in China. In Beijing alone at least 300,000 newborns are expected - a 20 percent jump from the 250,000 average in recent years. German fertility drug maker Merck, has seen a boost in sales on the mainland.
Although not everyone adheres to ancient customs, some couples were extra mindful of becoming pregnant after May last year to ensure they would have a ‘Monkey baby’.
“The monkey king is the biggest hero in our culture and we would love to have a monkey baby so we can have a hero kid,” excited soon-to-be father Zoubai Wang says.
Wang’s mother was born in the year of the sheep, and encouraged her son not to have a sheep baby because those born in the sheep year have less luck.
“She grew up during a hard time and experienced hunger, so maybe that’s why she has this idea,” Wang says.
Feng Shui master Wang Hao Hua says sheep years are bad for having babies. (SBS News)
Feng Shui master Wang Hao Hua says that’s why many couples may have held off giving birth the year before.
“We have a changing sequence that takes place every year, which is what we Chinese call the 12 Chinese Zodiac," he says.
"Based on that, the year of the monkey follows the Year of the Sheep. And generally people agree that the year of the goat is a bad year, so the number of people who want to give birth is low in that year.”
Although Wang would love to take advantage of the second child policy, they’re not sure they can afford to. Like many other young couples in major Chinese city, they’re struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“The new policy will impact urban areas a lot, but in urban areas the cost is the important factor,” Professor Du Peng, sociologist and population expert from Beijing’s Renmin University, says.
“Another problem is the lack of resources. The government is developing more facilities in terms of healthcare, so that families actually have somewhere to go if they do get pregnant again. At the moment there aren’t enough hospital beds.”
Some Beijing hospitals have reported maternity beds booked out until this April, and a 30 percent boost in bookings with the new Monkey Year.
Children born in the Year of the Monkey are said to have lucky lives. (SBS News)
Dr Wang Wejun, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Beijing’s Amcare hospital, says more older women are also approaching the hospital looking to conceive again.
“For mothers born in the 1970s for example, who have already got older… if they have wishes to have a second baby, we would try our best to help them to accomplish that,” Dr Wang says.
Yuan says she feels lucky to be able to afford to move into a bigger apartment in Beijing to support her growing family and is looking forward to helping Niu Niu adjust to life as an older brother.
“It may take some time to get used to, but he’s also looking forward to it," she says.
"He’s born in the dragon year, so he’s confident and smart - a great match for a monkey sibling.”
Almost all of the years of the Chinese zodiac have their auspiciousness, except the sheep and pig. That’s why there are so many Chinese.
Monkey Business
There are more pix - I only copy and pasted the lead shot.
This just reminded me of an archived ezine article that I should bring forward this year: Visiting the Home of the Monkey King by Gregory Brundage
| Wed Feb 3, 2016 8:35am EST
Chinese village hopes for year of profitable monkey business
BAOWAN VILLAGE, CHINA | BY JOSEPH CAMPBELL
A monkey rides a bicycle during a daily training session at a monkey farm in Baowan village, Xinye county of China’s central Henan province, February 2, 2016.
REUTERS/JASON LEE
During decades of political turmoil in China under Mao Zedong, monkeys were not trained or kept as pets, but often eaten.
But one village in rural Henan province, where the land is too hard and rough to grow crops, residents have for centuries relied on training performing monkeys to make money. And as the Year of the Monkey approaches, they are hoping for bumper business.
A small temple devoted to the deity of the Monkey King, a popular figure from Chinese folklore and literature, sits on the outskirts of Baowan.
"Since this will be the Year of the Monkey, and we will be putting on (monkey performance) competitions for tourists, we all need to visit this temple and burn some incense,” Zhang Zhijiu, a 60-year-old former monkey busker, said after praying.
Monkey breeding and raising is illegal across China without a proper license, but the 2,500 villagers of Baowan are an exception.
The animals, some wearing tight metal collars, are taught to ride bicycles and walk on stilts. One trainer was throwing daggers at a monkey balanced on a wooden board on a rolling cylinder.
The animal was deftly catching the daggers and putting them between its teeth.
Fan Haoran, 57, a trainer at Qilingang Monkey Farm who traveled the country monkey busking for decades, has been training monkeys since his youth. He says the key is to develop a relationship.
“Firstly, you have to show concern and take care of them. Secondly, you must proceed slowly, little by little, and not rush. For instance, when shaking hands - from the beginning, little by little - and then it will remember your hand.”
But for China, which has spent decades trying to end rural poverty, animal rights have been almost non-existent until recently, and then mostly among urban pet owners.
Zhang Junran, president of Xinye County’s monkey breeding association, admitted that Baowan’s treatment of monkeys has been controversial, but he said the current methods were humane.
"Our way of training monkeys to perform was not the most educated (in the past). Especially when it came to their living conditions… But these monkeys also have lives, and they have brought us so many benefits, which have made such major changes to our lives. We must be good to our monkeys,” said Zhang.
Zhang Zhijie, 57, keeps a four year-old macaque tied on a leash just outside his home. Zhang comes from a line of monkey trainers and has made a small fortune performing across the country.
"It started from my grandfather, then my father, and then it was passed down to me. My kids studied in primary school, and then went college. Their education was completely paid for by money made from our monkey performances,” he said.
But the family business may be coming to an end - his children are not showing the same interest in the family tradition.
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
Alas, Sacto…
And I thought competing with Superbowl 50 was bad here in Cali…:rolleyes:
2.03.2016
SACRAMENTO KINGS CANCEL “YEAR OF THE MONKEY” SHIRT GIVEAWAY AFTER PLAYER COMPLAINT
Someone was clearly not paying attention to the unintended implications of this promotion.
This week, the Sacramento Kings scrapped a commemorative Lunar New Year t-shirt giveaway celebrating the Year of the Monkey after a player noted the shirts could be deemed offensive during Black History Month.
Sacramento Kings Pull ‘Year of the Monkey’ Shirts From Seats
Player DeMarcus Cousins took issue with the shirt design, which depicted a monkey in Kings colors. The shirts were supposed to be given out to fans on Monday night during Sacramento’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, but were pulled at the last minute after Cousins raised the issue with team management.
The Sacramento Kings introduced players in Mandarin for Lunar New Year.
February 8 is the start of the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Monkey – but the team planned to give out the shirts on February 1… which also happens to be the first day of Black History Month. Players and coaches were already wearing shirts observing Black History Month on that day.
Associations between Black people and monkeys have been historically used in racist imagery. Someone in the Kings organization was clearly not paying attention to the unintended implications of this promotion.
Responding to Cousins’ concerns, the Kings pulled the shirts from seats before fans arrived at Sleep Train Arena. Bucks TV analyst and former player Marques Johnson tweeted a photo of staff collecting the shirts:
[QUOTE] Follow
Marques Johnson
@olskool888
DeMarcus voices his displeasure and to the Kings credit they pull the Monkey T Shirts…
RETWEETS 490
LIKES 344
5:31 PM - 1 Feb 2016
Marques Johnson
@olskool888
Good move Kings. Year of Monkey Tees on 1 st day of Black History Month not a good look. Thanks DeMarcus…
RETWEETS 645
LIKES 504
5:33 PM - 1 Feb 2016
“We all need a lesson in sensitivity,” Kings’ president Chris Granger told The Sacramento Bee. “In an effort to celebrate Chinese New Year, we had some concerns about the t-shirt giveaway, so we pulled them all before the doors opened. Certainly we don’t want to offend anybody, and we acted as soon as we heard the concern.”
There is a league-wide initiative this season for teams to commemorate the Lunar New Year “in some fashion,” and the rest of the Kings’ Lunar New Year celebration continued as scheduled. Festivities included Kings Dancers performing a ribbon dance, a Lunar New Year drum line and a Mandarin emcee.
While I really appreciate the NBA’s efforts to be inclusive and acknowledge the traditions of the Lunar New Year, the Kings definitely overlooked the optics and timing of the Year of the Monkey-themed giveaway. The concerns were valid, and it was a good call to yank the shirts. Every little step…[/QUOTE]
Got your goat?
Someone got fired.
7:00pm February 4, 2016
Coles pulls Chinese New Year mishap from shelves
By ninemsn
Coles were quick to remove the Chinese New Year lucky bamboo plants from shelves once the mistake was pointed out (Image Source: AAP)
Coles has failed in its attempt to help customers celebrate the Year of the Monkey after it was revealed their lucky bamboo plants are labelled with last year’s Chinese zodiac word ‘goat’.
Originally reported by marketing blog Mumbrella, the pot plant’s label features a cartoon monkey as well the Chinese character for sheep or goat.
The Year of the Goat started on 9 February 2015 and ends on Sunday. The Year of the Monkey starts on February 8th on the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle.
Users on Chinese social media website Weibo were quick to joke about the mishap, with one commenting that the monkey’s name could possibly be Sheep.
A Coles spokesperson confirmed to Fairfax Media that they were removing the product from sale.
"We’re sorry for the mix-up and have decided to remove the product from our shelves. We hope everyone has a very happy Chinese New Year,” the spokesperson said.
The lucky bamboo plant in question, which features a cartoon monkey and the Chinese character for ‘Sheep’ or ‘Goat’ (Image Source: Weibo)
For the most part, customers haven’t scolded the supermarket for their mistake.
“We should support western brands who take part in Chinese traditions & holidays - a blooper is ok, it’s how we learn,” Twitter user Michael Ashton wrote.
“How can Coles cope? Valentine’s day, Australia Day and Chinese New Year, so much merchandising so little time,” Neil Bibby wrote.
Coins and stamps
The two sides to Chinas new monkey coin
Source: Xinhua | February 7, 2016, Sunday
GUAN Fuyuan, in his sixties, walked to his bank in the bitter Beijing wind just after breakfast to wait for three hours. Just before lunchtime, he got what he came for .
Every year since 2003 in the run up to Lunar New Year, China has issued a commemorative coin featuring the horoscope animal for the coming year. Last year, the Year of the Sheep, was the beginning of the second 12-year cycle, and the face value of the coin was raised from one yuan (US$0.15) to 10 yuan.
The central bank opened online subscription for the monkey coins earlier this month and on Saturday began to distribute them. Any Chinese citizen could apply for up to five coins, to be collected and paid for before New Year. For some, it is a small investment; for others just some fun.
This years coin resembles a one euro, basically silver with a gold-colored rim, featuring an image of a traditional paper-cut of a monkey sitting beside a lantern, staring off into the distance.
Born in 1980, another the Year of Monkey, Guans daughter Yijun decided to buy one this year. Subscriptions opened at midnight on January 6 and she began clicking as soon as the clock struck twelve. She eventually succeeded at around 6am.
It took a long time to place my order, perhaps due to a bad Web connection, perhaps because there were so many other people doing the same thing at the same time, she recalled.
Previously, Yijun had worked in England for three years. In Great Britain, they issue commemorative coins on many occasions, such as the 200th anniversary of Charles ****ens birth and to celebrate 150 years of the worlds oldest subway system. I collected as many as I could. The monkey coin is the first Chinese addition to her collection.
Beijings allocation of coins was sold out in less than 12 hours online and a report in The Beijing Evening News said that more than three million coins were snapped up in the first hour.
At a downtown branch of ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China), Yang Fan used three ID cards to collect 15 coins, mostly gifts for friends and relatives. They are very special Spring Festival gifts, he said. It is not any kind of investment or speculation, as it takes a long time for them to appreciate.
Jia Lijun, an ICBC teller, said that about 500 customers were coming in each day to collect their coins. A notice on the front door read that the branch had been allocated 22,000 of the minted monkeys.
According to ICBC, sheep coins issued in 2003 have risen from a face value of one yuan to 310 yuan in todays market. Last years 10 yuan sheep now change hands for around 100 yuan. Wang Fubin, the president of a Nanjing investors association, said that the price of this years monkey had already doubled.
Zeal for collecting coins has surged, and these horoscope coins are affordable for many people, Wang said, although coins remain less popular than stamps as investments.
The value of collectibles largely depends on scarcity and age. Liu Haoxiang, a professional investor, said that the monkey stamp issued in 1980 is now worth several thousand times its face value. Wang Yu, a collector for 15 years, noted that coins and stamps were more accessible to ordinary people than jewelry and paintings, with lower risk of forgery. They are issued by state-owned institutions so their authenticity is more reliable, he said.
But for Guan, while his wait in the freezing cold of Beijings winter for a brass monkey was not entirely in vain, his time was not as well spent as it might have been. I waited for so long but my daughter had only reserved one! he complained.
Yijun confessed that her motivation to buy one of the coins was more fun than investment. I like to keep some small souvenirs of each stage of my life, so that when I am old, these things will take me back in time, she said.
Sunday
Lunar New Year: Year of the Monkey
Forever 49¢
In 2016 the U.S. Postal Service® will ring in the Year of the Monkey by issuing the ninth of 12 stamps in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016, and ends on January 27, 2017.
The monkey is one of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. According to an old legend, the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race. Next came the ox, then the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, and ram, followed by the monkey in ninth place.
People born in the year of a particular animal sign are said to share characteristics with that animal. Individuals born during the Year of the Monkey are said to be clever, wise, and honest. With their keen intellect and sociability, they can easily adapt to new situations.
Issue Date:
February 05, 2016
Art Director/Designer: Ethel Kessler
SKU: 586504
I actually have a lot of the U.S.P.S. CNY stamps. When I used to live in S.F., I got them as mementos in Chinatown. But I don’t collect stamps. I don’t really know what to do with those now. They are buried in storage somewhere.:o