Asia rings in Year of the Sheep with fireworks, festivities

BEIJING - Fireworks illuminated the skies across China as millions around Asia ushered in the Year of the Sheep Thursday, kicking off festivities with an annual televised gala that got a thumbs down on social media for heavy Communist Party preaching against corruption.

China officially counts the New Year as starting from January 1 but culturally its citizens place greater importance on the lunar computation of days, reflecting centuries of traditional practice.

Ahead of the festivities, President Xi Jinping proffered a Lunar New Year's greeting to a gathering of more than 2,000 people inside Beijing's ornate Great Hall of the People.

"We are proud of our great country and we are proud of our great people," he said in the speech on Tuesday, which was also attended by other top leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang.

Wednesday night, or lunar New year's eve, was marked by loud booms as people shot off firecrackers in various parts of the country, filling the air with the pungent smell of explosives.

Indoors, hundreds of millions of Chinese tuned in for the annual televised Spring festival gala, which lasts for about four hours and is broadcast nationwide, featuring singing, dancing, skits and comedy performances.

Social media users, however, complained Thursday that the show was ruined by Communist Party sermons against corruption, which has been the pet policy of Xi since becoming head of the party.

The performance included comic dialogues criticising the endemic culture of bribe-taking.

"It was the most disgusting Spring Festival gala," read a post on microblog Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter. "It was just for the state leaders, not for common people."

"The gala is a political performance, the so-called anti-corruption-themed performances are for licking the shoes" of state leaders, another user said.

The day varies annually due to the nature of the lunar calendar which follows the cycles of the moon. It was celebrated last year on January 31, which marked the Year of the Horse.

Traditional astrology in China attaches different animal signs to each lunar year in a cycle of 12 years.

Lunar New Year is also celebrated in other parts of Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, North and South Korea, Mongolia and among ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.

Fortune tellers in Hong Kong said that the Year of the Sheep should be calmer in general than the previous Year of the Horse, which was characterised by catastrophic international air accidents, brutal terror attacks, global political upheaval, a resurgent Ebola virus and war.

In Taiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou prayed for "safety, health and happiness for the country" in the coming year while attending a religious ceremony in New Taipei city late Wednesday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

8 predictions for the super-rich in Year of the Goat

MANILA, Philippines - The Chinese Year of the Goat starts today, February 19.

Wealth-X gave 8 predictions for the ultra high net worth (UHNW) population in China for the coming year:

1. Social mobility will drive an increase in China’s UHNW population in the lowest wealth tiers;

2. UHNW wealth is expected to grow at a faster rate than the Chinese UHNW population, with an additional $80 billion of wealth being created during the year;

3. Flows of UHNW wealth outside of China will increase, with 5 percent more of UHNW assets held in foreign businesses;

4. Tier 1 cities will increase in relevance with 60 percent of China’s UHNW population calling the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou home by the end of the year;

5. Public wealth is expected to grow faster than private wealth in China with an additional $45 billion held in public companies;

6. Luxury spending in China will decrease by 4 percent due to the government’s anti-corruption crackdown;

7. Chinese philanthropy will increase this year, with a 24 percent rise in the number of private foundations established;

8. The number of UHNW expatriates in China will increase by 40 percent over the course of the year.

The Goat is the eighth zodiac sign in the 12-symbol Chinese horoscope.

Wealth-X data shows that 8.4 percent of the world's UHNW population was born in the year of the Goat, the fourth most common Chinese Zodiac sign for UHNW individuals.

Goat UHNW individuals have the lowest proportion of fully self-made UHNW individuals and these individuals are 10 percent wealthier than the global average for UHNW individuals.

Although only six percent of all Goat UHNW individuals are involved in the technology sector, the most prominent "goat" is Bill Gates.

Gates, who founded Microsoft, is the world's richest man. He was born in 1955, another year of the Goat.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What to wear with your green Lumia

MANILA - "Wearing green, painting the office color green, using green bags or using green color elements would enhance money and wealth luck to you."

This is the forecast of popular feng shui expert Hanz Cua for the coming Year of the Sheep, which starts on February 19.

With that in mind, Microsoft Philippines has tapped one of the country's top professional make-up artists, Jake Galvez, to come up with a stylish look to match the lucky color.

"Green is a very versatile color that can be used as a great eyeshadow for day or night. It is also perfect for Filipina skin and best with brown or hazel eyes," said Galvez.

"Green as a makeup color is very modern, unique. It's also perfect for color combinations of eyeshadow shades. If you're wearing a green dress or something green, it is best to wear makeup that compliments your dress. You can use something warm on the eyes like taupe or something shimmery like gold or bronze," he added.

The company also asked actress Yana Asistio for tips on what to wear in combination with her green Lumia smartphone.

According to young actress, another way to incorporate the lucky green in your looks is with your outfits and accessories.

"Green is one of my favorite colors. I usually wear green if I want to catch the attention of people," said Asistio. "But since I can’t always wear green I can now bring other green items with me for luck."

Microsoft's Lumia line of smartphones, which are available in green, is available in the Philippines.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Year of the Sheep: An overview

MANILA – Are you curious about what the Year of the Sheep will bring? Feng shui expert Princess Lim Fernandez of Yin and Yang Shop of Harmony in New World Makati shares an overview of the coming Chinese New Year.

Fernandez said that while the Lunar New Year will officially start on February 19, spring season has begun on February 4. This means that a baby born from the noon of February 4 onwards already belongs to the Year of the Sheep zodiac, also called the Year of the Goat, and no longer the Year of the Horse.

She advised businesses to open not on February 19 but on February 23 to welcome more wealth. Some of the “lucky” industries this year, according to her, are related to wood (textile, garments, environment, paper, print media, logging, furniture, design, manufacturing and books) and fire (restaurants, energy, power, electronics, sports, exercises and entertainment).

Weaker businesses, on the other hand, are industries related to water such as tourism, shipping, transportation, logistics, water supply, hospitality and trading. Fernandez stressed, however, that these industries can still do well if owners and employees put in extra effort.

She went on to share that the generally favorable direction in the home and office this coming Year of the Sheep is north, which is home to the “wealth star.” The northwest contains the “promotion and academic star,” while the northeast has the “travel star.”

The “romance star” and the “prosperity star,” on the other hand, are in the east and the southwest areas, respectively.

Meanwhile, the unfavorable directions include the west, which has the “disaster star,” and the southeast, which has the “sickness and backstabbing star.” Other not-so-good areas are the center (“conflict star”) and south (“robbery and scandal star”). Fernandez advised people to place lucky charms to attract good fortune and to counter negative energies.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com