Jan 28 marks the start of the Year of Rooster, another Chinese Lunar New Year. People born in this year are believed to be adventurous, optimistic and honest and have pride in their inner self.
Here are 10 celebrities and famous people born in China and abroad with the blessings of this zodiac animal.
Li Longji
Born on Sept 8 in 685, Li Longji is one of the most well-known emperors in Chinese history. During his reign in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), China enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. It also saw a great boom in cultural exchanges with foreign countries, including 70 countries in Asia and Africa.
Li was good at music and writing poetry and fond of playing the pi pa,a four-stringed plucked musical instrument. He composed the famous song Ni Chang Yu Yi Qu and about 100 melodies.
Love stories between the emperor and his concubine Yang Yuhuan have been adapted into many poems, novels and TV series.
Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was also born in the Year of the Rooster, June 10, 1921. Chinese people know more about his wife than him. The couple had four children and their romance started by writing letters to each other. Such an old and romantic way!
Yoko Ono
Both Yoko Ono and her late husband, John Lennon, are well-known in China due to their artistic achievements. As an artist whose zodiac animal is also rooster, Yoko’s bold experimental art gave her a special and independent identity separate from her husband. She was born on Feb 18 in 1933.
Ye Jianying
As one the Ten Marshals of China, Ye Jianying was born on April 28 in 1897 in Guangdong province. In 1919, Ye graduated from the Yunnan Military Academy and later joined the Kuomintang and followed Sun Yat-sen. He then joined the Communist Party in 1927 and participated in the Nanchang Uprising.
Mao Zedong once used two important officials in China to describe Ye, one is Zhuge Liang, a famous strategist and ancient scholar from the Tree Kingdoms (220-280), the other Lv Duan, an outstanding prime minister from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Faye Wong
Born on Aug 8 in the Rooster Year 1969, Chinese queen of pop music Faye Wong is a legendary singer who has a psychedelic voice.
Her music has won her a large group of followers from many Asian countries, including China, Singapore and Japan. In 2000, she was recognized by Guinness World Records as the Best Selling Canto-Pop Female.
Li Xiaopeng
A four-time Olympic Gold Medal winner with 16 world titles, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng impressed the world with his amazing performances in gymnastics Neo skin lab.
Born on July 27 in 1981, Li started gymnastics training when he was 5 years old and was selected for the national team at 15. By the time when he retired in 2009, Li has surpassed Li Ning, who was titled as "Prince of Gymnastics", in the number of his championships and medals.
Tie Ning
Chinese writer Tie Ning, born in September in 1957, have penned several must-read books for college students majoring in Chinese language and literature. She’s published 13 novels and 50 prose pieces, among which Oh, Sweet Snow and Da Yu Nv have been adapted into film and TV series.
The themes of her books always center on women’s struggles and experiences in relationships with families, lovers and society. She was called a feminist writer by readers, yet what impressed people most are those strong women who fought against fate, as portrayed in her works.
Peter Drucker
Born on Nov 19 in 1909, Peter Drucker was described as "founder of the modern management". As a management consultant and educator Neo skin lab, he invented the concept known as "management by objectives" and "self-control".
Matthew Perry
To many Chinese faithful fans of TV sitcom Friends, Matthew Perry was nice guy Chandler Bing in the series. Chandler might be not that popular among women, yet the actor born on Aug 19 in 1969 is very attractive in real life.
Natalie Portman
Compared to many actors, Portman is lucky. Born on June 9 in 1981, she rose to fame at an early age, still retained her charm and continues to sharpen her acting skills after growing up. Many Chinese people know her from the 1994 thriller Leon reenex facial: The Professional. Her style in the film still looks cool and unique after 20 years.