Uncultured arrogant western leaders ridiculed the Chinese Zodiac.

The Chinese Zodiac base on the selected twelve common animals is as old as the Chinese Civilization. The wisdom of the Chinese ancestors in choosing the twelve animals to represent the twelve years cycle of human life is unique only to the Chinese. Each animal is carefully chosen as petain to its characteristic behaviour that may be reflected in human life. And each of the twelve animals is paired with another animal of contradictory behaviour characteristics to give a balance in life. And the whole Chinese Zodiac system is based on the Ying-Yang theory of balancing the positive and the negative forces, the weak and strong force, the female and male force, the good and the bad or evil. If either the Ying or the Yang become too strong it must be balanced or else trouble or disaster may take place. The whole Chinese society on earth is governed by this twelve animal cycle zodiac in all aspects of life from choosing life partners, business, to politics and wars. Over 1.4 billion Chinese on earth believe and subscribe to the Chinese Zodiac yet the uncultured crude arrogant western leaders dare to ridicule and despise this Chinese cultural practice.

It was in the early 1950s during one international meetings of various countries political leaders possibly in Vienna that a western minister during a reception spoke ill and in derision of the Chinese Zodiac ridiculing it in front of a Chinese delegation to make the Chinese delegation look low and humbled. However a prompt reply to their crass behaviour by the respectable Chinese premier Zhou Enlai who deliberated in detail on the meaning and significance of the twelve animal cycle of the Chinese Zodiac soon put them to shame.

Below is the rebuttal and deliberation of the  Chinese Zodiac at the meeting by the then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai as sent to me by a friend through 'WhatsAPP'.

Foreigners - the uncouth caucasians ridicule the Chinese Zodiac.

On one occasion, a group of Chinese representatives participated in the reception of a delegation composed of European aristocrats.

Most of the Europeans had kinship with some royal family , very knowledgeable and cultivated, treat people polite, but hidden behind their pretence of high culture was some inborn arrogance.

On the last day of dinner, these aristocrats drank more and began to speak freely.

During the banquet, a German aristocrat stood up and said:  You Chinese people use the common animals like pig, dog mouse as zodiac signs! Unlike us, we take after the stars like Taurus, Leo,Virgo......I do not know how your ancestors think!"

Everyone among the Europeans had listened and then laughed, but they also toasted each other, as their earlier elegance dissipated.

It stands to reason, when others insulted your ancestors, and even if you cannot refute, at least you should topple the table.

However, all those Chinese guests did not say anything at first, perhaps they were unable to respond.

Then one of the Chinese stood up and said in a peaceful tone, "Yes, the ancestors of the Chinese people are down to earth in choosing common animals, and our 12 zodiac animals are paired in duality,reflecting the six realms of reincarnation, and is a reflection of our ancestors' expectations and demands on us."

At this time the atmosphere slowly settled down, but some of the nobles looked arrogant and indifferent.

The Chinese gentleman then said:

"The first pairing comprises rats and cattle. Mice represent wisdom and hard work. Wisdom and hard work must be coupled together. With wisdom alone, and absence of hard work , it becomes valueless wit, and hard work solely , without the use of the brains , denotes a simpleton. The two strengths must be combined . This is the ancestors' expectations and requirements on the first and the most important group"

The second group is tigers and rabbits. The tiger represents bravery, While the rabbit manifests caution. Courage and prudence must be coupled together to be bold and cautious. Being bold alone without caution, one becomes reckless;without courage one becomes timid. This group is also very important .' ..... so the Chinese guest look at these aristocrats , smiled politely and remarked, "When we Chinese people show restraint, please do not think the Chinese people are not courageous."

Seeing that everyone was in deep thought , the Chinese continue . "The third group is the dragon and the snake, - the dragon represents ferocity , while the snake represents flexibility. We all know that hard cast iron is not malleable and can be broken easily,however being flexible alone makes one easy to lose one's assertiveness. So the message from the ancients to us, is to balance both of these qualities.

"Next is the horse and sheep. Horses represent the courage to go forward , the sheep depict their natural docile nature of going with the flow. If a person only sets his sights on his own targets without regard for the surrounding environment , without taking the landmarks into consideration , he will inevitably continue to bounce around randomly, and may not be able to achieve the goals eventually. Therefore the mettle of courage to to step forward and lead , which must be coupled with the crowd. Both characteristics must be married tightly together....this is our ancestors expectations on the fourth group."

"Then there are monkeys and roosters. Monkeys represent adaptability , while all roosters crow regularly on time, representing consistancy . Adaptability and consistancy must be binded tightly and strategically together. If you are constantly changing goals and objectives , no matter how good the policy , the benefits cannot be reaped. On the one hand, stability, harmony and order are needed to maintain on course, but on the other hand one needs to change and adapt to circumstances in order to remain relevant and advance further ahead. This is the most fundamental concept of how to thrust forward for the future."

"Finally dogs and pigs. Dogs represent fierce loyalty, pigs represent the easy going nature. If a person is too loyal , and does not know how to be easy- going , the tendency would be to exclude others . In turn , a person who is too easy-going , has no loyalty, and this person will lose his principles and ideals . Whether it is a nation's loyalty or loyalty to their ideals , both ideas must be closely combined ,so it is easy to keep the balance of the heart."

"In the end I would like to know the significance and qualities behind your constellations of Aquarius, Sagitarius, Capricorn and other stars, and how do these reflect the hope and expectations of your ancestors on you," the Chinese diplomat asked.

These European nobles , for a long time did not speak,..... the audience remained silent.

Reading this is the first time that I have understood the meaning of the Chinese Zodiac as well..

The young man who spoke then was Mr. Zhou Enlai, the former Chinese premier,

Southernglory1

Tuesday, 5th February, 2019

NB : To learn more about the Chinese almanac and the horoscope of the twelve animals just search Youtube or Wikipileaks or google for the Chinese Zodiac of the 12 animal cycles.