CNN Student News

    FancyEnglish          Year of the Dragon          百科知识

       January 24, 2012

　

(CNN Student News) -- January 24, 2012 Year of the Dragon AZUZ: The Chinese New Year celebration lasts for 15 days. It is the longest and most important celebration on the Chinese calendar. According to legend, the animal that represents each year comes with its own unique personality traits. So what might the Dragon have in store for the year ahead? Stan Grant looks at some of the possibilities. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STAN GRANT, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): A new year, but old worries -- money, mostly. Millions of Chinese flocking to traditional temples to pray for good fortune. "Our family hopes to buy a car this year, but we still need to look at the costs of registration, if we can afford it," this woman says. Dongyue is the god of life, death and everything in between. He`s also known as the guardian of 18 levels of Hell. People pray that Dongyue will prevail over the might of the Dragon. It is the most powerful symbol in the Chinese zodiac and can bring trouble. 1976 was a Dragon year. An earthquake in Tangshan killed hundreds of thousands of people. China`s Supreme Leader Chairman Mao died. 2012 will bring its own challenges. China`s juggernaut economy is slowing. President Hu Jintao begins handing over power to a new generation of Communist leaders. GRANT: This is actually a Water Dragon year. It`s very rare, only happens once every 60 years. The difference? Well, a Water Dragon is meant to bring calm after chaos. GRANT (voice-over): Du Longzhi is a Taoist priest. People come to him to glimpse the future. He likes what he sees. "The Dragon year is a year of luck, growth and prosperity," he says. "The dragon represents the sky and moving up, just like this flame." If the Chinese are looking for lucky omens, look no further than the Oracle of Omaha. Billionaire Warren Buffett helped China sing in the new year with a song, broadcast to an audience of hundreds of millions, on China state TV Shishei (ph). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language). GRANT (voice-over): Chinese people hope that in the Year of the Dragon, they ,too, have something to sing about -- Stan Grant, CNN, Beijing. (END VIDEO CLIP)