Reflections | Famous historical figures born in the Year of the Ox – unsurprisingly, each was different from the other
- As we wave goodbye to the Year of the Rat, predictions and forecasts for future fortunes about
- A look through Chinese history reveals that those who shared the same Chinese zodiac sign were not alike
The pestilential Year of the Rat is behind us and we lumber into the Year of the Cow (also called the Year of the Ox), discombobulated by the events that have occurred in the past 12 months. Around this time every year, all manner of predictions are made by soothsayers, some of whom have made their fortunes hawking vague, catch-all prophecies to the credulous.
This being “their” year, many born in the Year of the Cow will sift through these forecasts with predictable interest. However, it’s hard to believe that millions of people around the world who share the same Chinese zodiac sign will this year meet their benefactors, find true love, or avoid the colour green, all en masse.
Famous historical figures born during the Year of the Cow had very different lives and predispositions. Liu Bei (AD161-223) was one of the most famous warlords in Chinese history. An impoverished descendant of the Han imperial family who peddled straw shoes, he became an emperor through sheer gumption and luck.
The classical 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, multiple plays and other works of fiction have impressed upon generations of Chinese that Liu was a noble and honourable man, a heroic beacon of virtue in the dark and brutal era that saw the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty and the emergence of the Three Kingdoms period (AD220-280). In truth, he had a ruthless and cunning streak, though possessing sufficient political guile and a peerless aptitude for public relations, which inspired fierce loyalty in his men.
He declared himself emperor of Han (known in history as Shu-Han) in AD221, ruling a state that covered present-day southwest China. He died of an illness less than two years later, following a crushing defeat in a war with a rival state.
From a man of war to a man of letters. Li Bai (AD701-762) was arguably China’s greatest poet. A prolific writer, his verses were copied and recited by countless admirers, during his lifetime and long afterwards, including by emperors, courtiers and commoner-scholars. His poems and other literary creations are still celebrated for their romanticism, exuberance and untamed beauty.