kung hei fat choi

On monday , Chinese New Year , we were kindly invited by the owner of superb and stylish Oriental Restaurant Shanghai Blues www.shanghaiblues.co.uk . You can t beat their dim sums and soft shell crabs....mmm! Definately worth a try.

Bid farewell to the global economic downturn brought on in the Year of the Rat, and get ready to embrace the upcoming Year of the Ox. The second animal in the twelve Chinese zodiac signs began its year-long reign on Monday, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

For thousands of years, the ox - or more precisely, the water buffalo - has been valued for its meat and milk as well as the labor it performs. Since the animal is responsible for tilling the land on terraced fields to grow crops, the ox is a very important asset, especially in an agrarian society. For this reason "ox people," like the animal itself, are associated with characteristics such as being unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint. They are not social or party animals, and they tend to be quiet when in groups.

Some people might accuse them of being strong-minded and stubborn, but in fact people born under the influence of the Ox are said to be kind, caring souls who are logical and positive-thinking and filled with common sense; they have their feet firmly planted on the ground.

Security is the main preoccupation in life for ox people, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families.

Ox people are also exceptional at handcrafts or the arts, a fact attested to by the many famous artists or celebrities born in the year of the ox around the world. A partial list would include Vincent Van Gogh, Walt Disney, Charles Chaplin and Anthony Hopkins as well as George Clooney. Some Chinese celebrities such as Hong Kong pop stars Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung as well as Takeshi Kaneshiro, a half Taiwanese actor, were all born in Ox years.

With the Year of the Ox upon us, what can we expect in the new Lunar Year, and will the animal largely associated with dependability and calmness bring a halt to the economic recession both in Taiwan and the whole world?