The new year, symbolised by the rodent, begins today

Calling someone a “Rat” is usually a nasty insult but in China, it can simply indicate a person’s year of birth.

On February 7, China’s 1.3 billion people will end the year of Year of the Pig and ring in the lunar Year of the Rat.

There are 12 animals in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac and rat is the first in this series. Legend has it that all animals concerned were in a race to cross a broad river. Displaying the canniness characteristic of its species, the rat rode on the back of an ox and jumped off to finish first.

While in India, a rat might evoke disgust, in China, it is believed that those born in the Rat Year share the positive attributes of the animal. They are thus considered to be clever, ambitious, hardworking, quick and sociable.

Wang Wanying, a thirty-six year old journalist, is a “rat”. However, he believes the Year of the Rat is a misnomer that should be called the Year of the Mouse. In Chinese, the character used to refer to the animal is “shu”, a word that is applicable to a mouse and a rat.

Regardless of such distinctions, the fact that in China the popularity of rodents in general is suddenly on the rise. Supermarkets and malls are filled with rat/mouse-themed jewellery, apparel and knick-knacks. Pet stores are reporting record sales of hamsters and mice.

Animal activists are also taking the opportunity to educate people about the virtues of the rat, calling on everyone to treat the rodents with kindness and respect.

According to the Asia Pacific chapter of the non-governmental organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), contrary to popular perceptions, rats are sociable, intelligent and likeable, if only given a chance. It is thus calling for an end to cruel practices involving the killing of rats at homes and in laboratories.

In China, the lunar new year will kick off a week-long period of celebration marked by fireworks, hanging red lanterns and eating dumplings.

The period sees one of the largest domestic movements of people in any part of the world; millions of migrant workers who toil in factories along the country’s eastern sea-board return home to spend the holidays with their families. Tens of thousands of students making similar trips home for their university vacation to join them.
This year however, unusually heavy snowfall in central and southern China means hundreds and thousands of migrants are stranded on their way home in train stations and elsewhere.

Famous “rats” include William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Hugh Grant and John F Kennedy Jr.