Monday, January 30, 2012 | By: Jessica Rapp (阮洁茜)

Now that the new year has kicked off, dragons everywhere are reveling in the spotlight. While its fire-breathing Western counterpart wreaks havoc in fantastical worlds, the Chinese dragon remains a revered symbol of success, pride, intelligence and leadership in Chinese culture. To be a dragon is, to many, a great honor.

Because the only mythical animal in the zodiac is so steeped in Chinese tradition, it’s no wonder that China is expecting a 5 percent increase in births this year, comparable to previous Year of the Dragon baby booms across Asia, according to the BBC. These statistics undoubtedly suggest a connection between the supposed propitious nature of the Dragon Year and well-intentioned parents, and additional research shows that simply having a baby in the Year of the Dragon isn’t enough—nurturing the beloved dragon characteristics is equally important.

A 2010 Stanford study looking at the children of Asian immigrants born in 1976, the Year of the Fire Dragon, discovered that they are better educated in comparison to their Asian and non-Asian peers. Parents of Dragon babies were shown to be wealthier, more educated and to have had more parenting resources at their disposal to successfully raise their children. Since then, in the midst of China’s thriving economy, what the Stanford research dubbed a “self-fulfilling prophecy” has seemingly continued to perpetuate itself despite government efforts to discourage too many births. After 1976, state-owned media aimed to inform parents about the increased competition children could face if born to an outsized generation, but in 1988, the Year of the Earth Dragon, parents were still capitalizing on the tradition.

Consequently, reports say that schools, hospitals and companies offering baby products and services will be under pressure to cater to the rising demand this year, though not everyone buys into the hype. Some Chinese parents say they don’t even consider the auspicious creature when family planning and, instead, raise their children based on more tangible and practical goals. Says one Beijing mom, “It is coincidental that I do hope my child will be courageous, wise, and charismatic (I am sure there are attractive attributes from all the zodiac signs). I do not believe that parents in China try extra hard to develop their babies to reflect the symbolism of their zodiac animal.”

In fact, despite the rising numbers of births, many young, well-educated and Western-influenced mothers today are said to be relatively unbelieving of the connection between the Dragon Year and good fortune, leaving older family members to enjoy the prospect of being in a family of dragons.

Do you believe that being born in the Year of the Dragon is auspicious and is indicative of dragon traits? Leave your comment below!

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