Flickr Picks: My favourite China related finds from Flickr, the photo sharing website. Click on the image to visit the photo's home page on Flickr.

AndWat posted the following photo of a Chinese Zodiac horoscope wheel:

It’s an interesting zodiac wheel, probably used for some sort of horoscope function. If anyone knows exactly what it does, please let me know.

What I do know is that the Chinese are quite superstitious in general (and that’s obviously a large generalisation). They place a lot of importance on the zodiac and predictions (ie horoscope).

Certain years are good years to have children in, so there’s a boom in children in those years. Likewise with marriages. Conversely, there are bad years as well. I’ve heard of people waiting a year to get married, just because the current year doesn’t produce favourable omens for weddings.

All of this reminds me of an article I read recently on chinese horoscope love compatibility. It’s quite an interesting concept – and more than that, it’s quite a bit of fun too.

Anyway, for the record, the Chinese zodiac is a 12 year cycle, with each year named after one of 12 animals, each with different characteristics. Whichever animal is your zodiac sign is said to have a big influence on your personal traits and also on your fortune. The 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac are:

• Ox: 1949,1961, 1973, 1985
• Tiger: 1950,1962, 1974, 1986
• Rabbit: 1951,1963, 1975, 1987
• Dragon: 1952,1964, 1976, 1988
• Snake: 1953,1965, 1977, 1989
• Horse: 1954,1966, 1978, 1990
• Ram: 1955,1967, 1979, 1991
• Monkey: 1956,1968, 1980, 1992
• Rooster: 1957,1969, 1981, 1993
• Dog: 1958,1970, 1982, 1994
• Pig: 1959,1971, 1983, 1995
• Rat: 1960,1972, 1984, 1996

Interestingly, the cat doesn’t appear in the Chinese Zodiac and legend has it that this is because the rat tricked the cat and took his place.

Disclaimer: This photo was not taken by me. It was shared by a third-party on Flickr, under a Creative Commons license. For details on the license, see the photo's home page on the Flickr website.

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Recently, I was browsing a forum topic on the cost of living in China. I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to respond to question posed on the forum.

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As outlined in a recent post called JobsInChina.com Brings You … Jobs In China, this site recently added a listing of jobs in China. As explained in the previous post, I decided to partner with NewChinaCareer. I also expressed one doubt (more…)

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Flickr Picks: My favourite China related finds from Flickr, the photo sharing website. Click on the image to visit the photo's home page on Flickr.

Okay, these photos were taken by Robert Scoble, of Scobalizer fame, who was a famous blogger for Microsoft and who now heads up FastCompany.tv. Robert appears to be in China for a couple of weeks to meet entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. He’s also taking some very interesting photos:

First up we have a photo of a fake IPhone. Not a surprise really – fake copies of everything are available in China. The IPhone would be a prime target. With his ex-Microsoft connection, I wonder what Robert thinks of all the fake Microsoft software you can buy for under USD$1?

Next we have a great shot of a child looking at a fountain in Shanghai. There’s something about this shot that I really like.

This is a great shot of the PuDong skyline in Shanghai, which was built on reclaimed land over the last 10 years or so. This is one of the more common shots of China.

Finally, this is a great photo of some red lanterns in Shanghai. Great shot!

I hope Robert enjoys his trip and posts some more photos of China. I also recommend you get over to his blog to read about his trip to China.

Disclaimer: This photo was not taken by me. It was shared by a third-party on Flickr, under a Creative Commons license. For details on the license, see the photo's home page on the Flickr website.

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Yes, JobsInChina.com finally has a listing of jobs in China. In this post, I explain both the new service and the background to this decision.

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