According to Chinese tradition and beliefs, the Year of the Dragon (Jia Chen) is considered a special and highly favored year for childbirth. Chinese people believe that children born in the Year of the Dragon will bring luck, success, and happiness to their families.
The dragon is the only mythical creature among the 12 zodiac animals and is regarded as a symbol of power and greatness. The number of births in the Year of the Dragon is recorded to be higher than in any other year of the zodiac.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the number of births in the Year of the Dragon is indeed higher than in any other zodiac year.
Many believe that having a baby in the Year of the Dragon is a lucky event. (Illustrative image).
The year 2000 (Geng Chen) saw a 5% increase in birth rates in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mainland China recorded an increase in births in 2012 (Ren Chen), with 950,000 more births compared to the previous year. As a result, children born in the Year of the Dragon often face higher competition in schools than those born in other years.
As the Year of the Dragon 2024 approaches, terms like “dragon baby” have emerged among the most searched and popular keywords online in China.
Many netizens in China have expressed that they have been preparing in advance to have children specifically in the Year of the Dragon 2024. “Everyone I know born in the Year of the Dragon has been lucky. They lead prosperous lives,” one netizen wrote. However, many others have countered this viewpoint.
Some netizens have raised concerns about the number of children expected to be born in 2024. “I was born in the Year of Geng Chen 2000, and when I took the college entrance exam, I noticed the admission scores skyrocketed,” a netizen commented on the social media platform Xiaohongshu.
Many Chinese people believe that the dragon is the top creature among the 12 zodiac animals. Children born in the Year of the Dragon are thought to be intelligent, charming, eloquent, and wealthy throughout their lives.
While parents in China consider giving birth in the Year of the Dragon to be a lucky event, research indicates that the belief in “Dragon children achieving higher accomplishments” may have scientific explanations.
In a study published in 2020, authors Naci Mocan and Han Yu analyzed educational data related to children born in the Year of the Dragon in China. They looked at family circumstances, school test scores, and college entrance exam results.
Experts found that children born in the Year of the Dragon have a 14% higher likelihood of obtaining a bachelor’s degree, and the parents of these children have higher expectations for their offspring compared to parents with children born in non-Dragon years.
These parents intentionally choose to have children in the Year of the Dragon, investing significant time, money, and effort into their upbringing. They also pay special attention to their children’s education.
The authors concluded that the higher academic achievements of those born in the Year of the Dragon in China are largely the result of the immense expectations and investments made by their parents.
The upcoming Year of the Dragon 2024 begins on a weekend and is close to Valentine’s Day (February 14). Will there be “many new dragon babies born in just over 9 months?”, according to SCMP.
