Year of the MONKEY - Chinese New Year 2016

[GeneChing]

Great vid, for an ad.



Last year's thread: Chinese New Year 2015 - Year of the RAM

More to come.

[GeneChing]

That's all we need...more monkeys.

The Year of the Monkey Could Mean a Chinese Baby Boom
Natasha Khan January 17, 2016 — 1:29 PM PST Updated on January 17, 2016 — 9:50 PM PST

Merck KGaA reports stronger 3Q fertility-drug sales in China
Maternity hospital group says bookings increased by up to 30%

Those born in the year of the monkey are said to be crafty, clever and charming. That’s spurred some couples in China to delay parenthood until the less-auspicious sheep year ends -- a balm for companies offering fertility products and obstetric services.
The change in the Chinese zodiac from sheep to monkey, which happens this year on Feb. 8, has helped boost maternity bookings by as much as 30 percent at Harmonicare Medical Holdings Ltd.’s 72-bed hospital in Beijing, the company said. German drugmaker Merck KGaA said sales of fertility-related medications increased in China late last year as couples sought to build the ranks of little monkeys.
Harmonicare, China’s largest private obstetrics and gynecology hospital group, is renovating wards in its Beijing and Wuhan centers, adding beds and hiring medical staff on expectation of a busier year. It expects the advent of the country’s two-child policy will add to a monkey-baby drive.
“The number of obstetric deliveries will surely see substantial growth in the 2016 year of the monkey,” said Chen Wei, vice-president of the Beijing-based company, in an e-mail. “In Chinese tradition, sheep-year babies are seen as less auspicious than those born in other years, so many families delayed their reproductive plans so their kids could be born after that.”


A newborn intensive care unit. Source: Harmonicare Medical Holdings

Emperor Dragons
While the year of the monkey isn’t considered the most desirable among the 12 zodiac signs, it’s sandwiched between the years of the sheep -- sometimes referred to as a goat -- and the chicken, which can be seen by some as less favorable. The most auspicious year is that of the dragon, a symbol of China’s emperors and synonymous with power and wealth. The last dragon year, in 2012, sparked a 1.9 percent jump in births in China.
Birth years -- whether deemed lucky or not -- don’t always have a corresponding effect on fertility. In the last monkey year, in 2004, the number of births in China decreased by 0.37 percent in the wake of a SARS epidemic that killed more than 600 people on the mainland.
Superstition persists in China. The impact on births though is difficult to gauge or predict, said Joy Huang, the Shanghai-based research manager at Euromonitor International. “For example, we expected fewer babies to be born in the goat year, whereas we found out that the birth rate wasn’t severely impacted,” she said.

Two-Child Policy
Still, many couples in China waited until last May to fall pregnant, Marcus Kuhnert, chief financial officer of Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck, told analysts on a Nov. 12 conference call to discuss third-quarter earnings. “And since then indeed we saw a strong take-up of the business,” he said, without elaborating.
Deliveries in the coming year may be bolstered by the commencement on Jan. 1 of the government’s two-child policy, a relaxation of previous population curbs. The change will result in 3 million to 6 million more babies each year starting in 2017, Credit Suisse Group AG estimated in October. Suppliers of baby milk formula, diapers and certain medications will directly benefit.
A higher birth rate may add about 3 percentage points to the sales of baby-related products, including skincare, Euromonitor’s Huang said. The research firm predicts baby food sales, including milk formula and dried food, will reach 307.8 billion yuan ($46.7 billion) by 2020, more than double the 133.5 billion yuan it estimates was sold in 2015.

Diapers
Other companies that stand to benefit include formula companies, such as Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co.,and diaper maker Hengan International Group Co.
Provisions for a second child may increase the number of older women seeking to become pregnant, said Merck, whose fertility products include Gonal-f, used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs in women and to spur sperm production in men.
The increasing cost of raising children in China may narrow the number of couples seeking a second child to higher income-earners, said Harmonicare’s Chen. The shares were down 1.2 percent at HK$6.85 in Hong Kong as of 1:00 p.m. local time, while the Hang Seng index fell 0.65 percent.
“Under the two-child policy, those who choose to have a second child are mainly from more affluent families,” he said. “Since we’re in the mid-to-high end, most of them are our potential customers.”

[donnyir]

Great vid, for an ad.



More to come.

Nice ad, Gene. This guy is probably my favorite Sun Wu Kong ever.

[GeneChing]

Internet tycoons are weird all around the world.

LOOK: Chinese internet tycoons get dressed up for corporate CNY galas



As part of Chinese New Year celebrations, those at the very top of some of China's largest companies will be dressing up to appear as the star of the company gala. Here's a selection of some of the best outfits from previous years.
A frequent staple at the annual gala are figures from Chinese history. Here is Giant Interactive president Shi Yuzhu's tribute to the Jade Emperor.



And Xiaomi founder Lei Jun's took the role of Caishen, the Chinese deity of wealth.



Netease CEO Ding Lei turned up as a "Chinese zombie" to his company's event in 2014.



Baidu chairman Robin Li once masqueraded as Zorro back in 2012.



He also happens to be a pretty awesome drummer.



But despite the stiff competition, the man to steal the show is everyone's favorite internet tycoon Jack Ma, who delighted audiences when he turned up in a lovely frilly dress.



Who is the fairest of them all? You decide. We just hope that 2016 will live up to expectations.
[Images via DFIC / Xinhua]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 21, 2016 11:00 PM

[GeneChing]

Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com's contest for 2 YEAR OF THE MONKEY T-SHIRTS from KungFuMagazine.com! Contest ends 5:30 p.m. PST on 2/4/2016.

[GeneChing]

Ours are better:
Year of the Fire Monkey
Year of the Monkey King

Tumor-Laden Monkey Is Your New Spring Festival Gala Mascot
Design widely criticized
Charles Liu, January 22, 2016 11:31am



Spring Festival has long been known as the traditional time of year when Chinese families gather and celebrate. And yet, it’s also the night that hosts the biggest show of the year, the four-hour long celebrity-studded CCTV Spring Festival gala, a nationally-televised variety show crammed full of as much singing, cross-talk, and patriotic displays as anyone can muster.

As seen from past years, every Chinese New Year means the new gala must somehow be bigger and more entertaining than the year before, manifesting itself in fantastic sets with numerous video displays or elevating floors.

This year, as China celebrates the Year of the Monkey, the CCTV Spring Festival gala looks to up its showmanship by introducing the second mascot ever used by the gala in its history, Kangkang. The monkey mascot was designed by the same person who designed the Fuwa mascots for the Olympic games, Han Meilin.

And yet, there seems to be some major differences between what Han designed using watercolors (shown above), and what CCTV recently revealed as the mascot design for the show (shown below):



As far as first impressions go, there seems to be some kind of disconnect between Han’s initial watercolor design and the finished 3D model that will presumably provide the basis for the mascot costume. It’s as though someone simply took Han’s design and used it as a head, and then added another body below it. While the two round balls under the monkey’s cheeks made it to the final design, the use of yellow and green as subtle highlights did not.

In the hour since CCTV posted the design to its Weibo account, the post has received over 5,400 comments over the design that overwhelmingly disapprove:

勒尔金_：(top rated comment on CCTV Weibo post)
Upvote me if you don’t think this is any good…

幸是良人：
So ugly!

Nickal_Xcc：
Spring gala stoplight

茜茜念西不念倩V：
I like to think of the two “balls” under the monkey’s face in the hand-painted design are his hands, and not two tumors growing out of his face (as seen in the 3D model).

请叫我玉面小达摩：
Excuse me? Who decided this??? The 3D model version is ugly without peer??? Aren’t the two furry round things underneath the monkey his hands??? What’s the meaning of those tumors on the monkey’s face?

向大阳_：
The 3D model sucks!!! (repeated)

当仔很撒大：
In a former life, the designer surely was a traffic cop.

没有呢称用：
The vision of our leaders is genuinely unique!

张萌萌还是脸脸酱：
This color combination… can’t they just do a normal monkey?

TysSSS-：
In a word… ugly.

天青色等烟雨而我在等Jay：
Who cares who designed it since it’s so ugly anyways.

will-djx：
This is, without a doubt, the ugliest monkey I have ever seen.
The unanimous outpouring of dissent is really too bad when considering what kind of monkey Kangkang is. As revealed along with his design, Kangkang was born on Mount Huaguo and has one dream: “for everyone to be happy”.

Source: CCTV, Southern Metropolis Report, China News Network, Caijing
Photos: CCTV

Charles Liu
The Nanfang's Senior Editor

[GeneChing]

WTH? Why does Monkey art suck so much so far?

JANUARY 20, 2016
JORDAN BRAND CELEBRATES THE CHINESE NEW YEAR

Long recognized as a Chinese invention, the kite has deep cultural meaning representing promises of good luck and well wishes. Originating from the dream to fly, kites developed into techical instruments used to measure distances and test wind speed.



The kite and its uplifting significance now come to life in the Air Jordan V Retro Low and Jordan Super.Fly 4 PO, celebrating the Chinese New Year with kite-inspired graphics and corresponding tones.

The Jordan Chinese New Year graphic integrates cues from the Air Jordan V, including the shoe’s midsole design and outsole pattern. A hidden basketball court is found in the center of the graphic and includes inspirations from fighter jets and traditional Chinese kites.





JORDAN SUPER.FLY 4 PO
THE JORDAN SUPER.FLY 4 PO FEATURES A FLIGHT WEB FIT SYSTEM FOR SUPERIOR LOCK-DOWN AND FLIGHTSPEED TECHNOLOGY FOR AN EXPLOSIVE FIRST STEP.





The Air Jordan V Retro Low and Jordan Super.Fly 4 PO Chinese New Year shoes will release on Jordan.com and select global retail locations on January 23.

[GeneChing]

...is starting out really weird.

Monkey King masked models cruise around ski slope in underwear, scare the beejezus out of everyone



To promote its slopes, a ski resort in Henan went with the tried and true tactic of hiring girls in skimpy clothing; however, with the Year of the Monkey coming up they decided to get creative and had the lovely ladies wear Monkey King masks as well. Here is the result:



KILL IT WITH FIRE!



Somehow, the ladies attracted some attention cruising around on snowmobiles in minus 15 degree temperatures. Honestly, we sure as hell would be skiing as fast as we could the other way.




Different strokes for different folks?
[Images via China News]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Alex Linder in News on Jan 25, 2016 11:30 PM

[GeneChing]

God-awful monkey mascot for 2016 Spring Festival Gala shredded mercilessly by Chinese netizens



Meet Kang Kang, China's mascot for this year's Spring Festival Gala. If you aren't a fan of the design, well, you're not alone. After his unveiling last week, Chinese social media was flooded with criticism over the 3D uglification of the original sorta cute monkey design.



Ironically, Kang Kang's name translates to "healthy" in English, but one can suppose it's hard to have any faith in a creature that seems to have both the colors of jaundice and chemical poisoning spilled evenly on both sides of its creepy face.
Web users also couldn't help but notice the monkey's resemblance to a stoplight, with one netizen deeming it: "The monster of traffic lights!" Another reckoned that it had to be "designed by a traffic cop."



Photoshopped images of Kang Kang show some much better attempts at design from online users, with one even managing to craft an adorable Kang Kang head:









The Spring Festival Gala on CCTV has been a Chinese tradition since 1983. Last year's sheep mascot was the first one to be shown on the show.
The original designer of the monkey, Han Meilin, who also designed the 2008 Beijing Olympic mascots, said through WeChat that he was only responsible for the monkey's head and had no input on the final version.
In the Chinese Zodiac, the monkey is a symbol of wisdom, and Han claimed his own design combines Chinese tradition with the atmosphere of new year and the childish traits of China's most famous monkey, the Monkey King, from the literary epic "Journey to the West."
"I would like to take this chance to promote the image of monkey as a Chinese cultural icon around the world," he said. "Disney is famous for a mouse. So why should't we create a monkey?"
But not all netizens hate the design, with one tolerant soul saying: "I think the original painting of the monkey's face is OK, before they made it into a figure."
Well, whoever chose the final design clearly wasn't born in the Year of the Monkey, as this choice was far from wise, though to be honest, it's not as bad as this one.
By Kitty Lai
[Images via Weibo]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 26, 2016 8:30 PM

Reminds me a little of the Fuwa for the Beijing Olympics

[GeneChing]

Nicer than our T-shirts (Fire Monkey & Monkey King) but considerably more expensive.

JAN 3, 2016 @ 09:01 AM
Year Of The Monkey Luxury Watches

Anthony DeMarco
CONTRIBUTOR
I'm on the luxury jewelry beat.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

No sooner than we finished with one new year’s celebration it’s time to prepare for another. The Chinese New Year, also known as the lunar new year or spring festival, will be held February 8.

This year is the Year of the Monkey, in accordance with the Chinese zodiac. The day is celebrated with families getting together to eat foods that bring luck, present small amounts of money to children and exchange gifts.

Even though the growth in the Chinese economy is slowing and the government has imposed austerity measures, there are still plenty of wealthy people within the country willing to spend on lavish gifts. Luxury watch brands have created timepieces with specially designed dials interpreting the monkey in ways that are historically and culturally meaningful. Among the timepieces available for sale are the following:

Ulysse Nardin Year of the Monkey Classico



The watch brand describes the monkey depicted on the dial as “playful and happy.” It’s designed in a comic strip-like style to capture the lively creature’s character as it appears to leap through a brush of palm fronds.

The champlevé method of enameling brings the artist’s sketch to life. The technique consists of cells being carved with a chisel directly on the dial and filled with enamel. Its colors are generated from different metallic oxides, and for this piece, a neutral palette is used. It is then fired until the enamel melts. It is mastered in-house at Donzé Cadrans, a member of the Ulysse Nardin group of companies.


The 40 mm 18k rose gold timepiece is powered by the UN-815 automatic movement with a COSC-certified chronometer. It is limited to 88 pieces.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art La Légende du Zodiaque Chinois Year of the Monkey


The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – 2016 the year of the monkey

Vacheron Constantin master engravers and enamelers interpreted paper cutting techniques in China and Switzerland in the creation of this limited-edition timepiece.

The foliage motif on the dial is based on classic Chinese iconography that is etched directly in the metal. The pattern remains semi-embedded and stands out from its gold base by accentuating reliefs, making the vegetation appear to be floating over the dial.

Next is the Grand Feu enameling, applying the enamel in successive layers to enhance the intensity of the blue or bronze-toned dial before being fired at temperatures between 800 and 900 degrees Celsius. The monkey, made of platinum or gold, is hand engraved and applied to the dial center.

The 40 mm timepiece is powered by the Caliber 2460 G4 movement. It is limited to 12 pieces in platinum and 12 in pink gold.

Harry Winston Premier Monkey Automatic 36mm



The ladies timepiece has a pink mother-of-pearl dial, enhanced with flecks of 24k gold, each set in individually carved hollows to create a pink and gold constellation. An 18k gold monkey with a diamond for an eye hangs against this luminous, as if grasping the bezel at 9 o’clock, while his tail winds around an emerald-cut diamond at 12 o’clock. Appliqué and marquise-cut openwork create a scene inspired by Jianzhi, an ancient Chinese art form.

The rose gold timepiece is powered by the HW2008 automatic movement. The bezel, lugs and buckle are set with 74 brilliant-cut diamonds for a total weight of 2.47 carats. It comes with a black satin strap.

It is available in a limited edition of eight pieces.

Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi “Year of the Monkey”



This timepiece features a Urushi lacquered dial, hand-crafted in Japan by a master lacquer artist. It depicts a red-coated monkey perched on a branch laden with fruit. It is gathering peaches beneath a golden sky ablaze with the last rays of the sun. Behind it, golden valleys compose a warm scene in soft tones.

Urushi lacquer comes from the sap of the “lacquer” or “Japanese varnish” tree. The transparent lacquer is applied in extremely fine layers that contain gold dust motifs created using the meticulous Maki-e technique.

To create the dial and case, Chopard worked with the firm Yamada Heiando, official purveyor to the Japanese imperial family. Master Kilchiro Masumura designed and supervised the creation of the dials, executed by Master Minori Koizumi, an Urushi master.

The 39.5 mm 18k rose gold timepiece is powered by the L.U.C 96.17-L automatic movement.

[GeneChing]

Which is uglier? Beijing, Taipei both unveil appalling mascots for Monkey Year
29 January 2016 14:57 Vivienne Zeng 2 min read

Last week, when China’s state broadcaster CCTV unveiled a mascot for its upcoming annual gala to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, the internet was universally appalled. The red, yellow and green cartoon monkey, called Kang Kang, looks like a traffic light gone mad.


CCTV’s Monkey Year mascot Kang Kang. Photo: Weibo.

Besides a face split right down the middle, Kang Kang also has two tumour-like round balls growing on his cheeks. Authorities later explained the designer wanted to convey the image of a cute monkey with a mouth so full of food that his cheeks swell. The internet obviously did not get that impression.

But if you think Kang Kang is the ugliest monkey on earth, you may want to think again. This week, Taipei released its own mascot for the Taiwan Lantern Festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and it sparked a debate among netizens across the Taiwan Strait – is this a bigger abomination than Kang Kang?


Taipei’s Fulu Monkey. Photo: Taiwan Lantern Festival.

The “Fulu Monkey”, a combination of a gourd and a monkey face, was meant to represent both the monkey year and auspiciousness as the gourd in traditional Chinese culture is linked to good luck and career success. However, the internet sees it as more like the lovechild of a teletubbie and a rubber duck.

The “Fulu Monkey” is expected to appear as a 14-metre-tall light sculpture in Taipei. Taiwan netizens are certainly not looking forward to it. Some said they felt sorry for laughing at the CCTV monkey last week. Others mocked: “This is convenient, change the face and you can use it for 12 years.”


Taipei’s Fulu Monkey. Photo: Taiwan Lantern Festival.

A local news website reported the story with the headline: “Why do we hate monkeys?” Mainland netizens responded by saying China and Taiwan have the same kind of taste. “We are one big family after all.”

When we embarked on developing our Fire Monkey and Monkey King T-shirts for 2016, it was a no-brainer as the Monkey King is such a great symbol. How is it China is messing up their monkeys?

[GeneChing]

You'd think the fire monkey would come in a little hotter...

China braces for 2.9 billion trips made during Chinese New Year celebrations
by AP News | 31st January 2016 | @AP


Chinese traditional red lanterns in Beijing. Pic: AP

BEIJING (AP) — China’s peak travel season is kicking into high gear this weekend as hundreds of millions of people return home for Spring Festival celebrations — or head for vacation destinations domestic and abroad.

According to the Ministry of transport, Chinese travelers are expected to make 2.9 billion trips during the 40-day period between Jan. 21 and March 3, with the majority of those trips falling in the weeks around the Feb. 8 Lunar New Year.

The country’s transportation infrastructure has struggled for years to handle what is considered the largest annual human migration on Earth, but a combination of improved online ticketing and a lackluster economy — meaning fewer migrant workers on the road — has mitigated the travel crush.

Snow chaos at the start of China's Lunar New Year
Wintry weather in central China's Hubei province causes widespread disruption, affecting millions.
Steff Gaulter | 01 Feb 2016 13:39 GMT


Planes were cancelled, roads were closed and train passengers faced long delays as the snow fell [EPA]

Thousands of travellers were stranded as thick snow blanketed parts of central China.

In the province of Hubei, Wuhan's airport was forced to close, cancelling dozens of flights and leaving thousands of people stranded.

Trains faced major delays and a major expressway linking Hubei to its neighbouring province of Jiangxi ground to a halt.

In Jiangxi itself, the snow forced the closure of a number of roads, including four major expressways.

The disruption happened at the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is a time when millions of people travel to see their friends and family, and is considered to be the largest annual human migration.

Chinese travellers are expected to make almost three billion trips during the 40-day period surrounding the festivities, with most of the trips falling in the week of February 8, the start of the Year of the Monkey.

Fortunately, the forecast for the region looks more favourable over the next few days. The snow cleared from the region on Monday, and no further heavy snow is expected this week.

However, temperatures will drop below freezing during the night, so there could be a problem with ice.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

And I've been worried about Superbowl traffic.

Guangzhou: Heavy snows strand more than 100,000 people at southern China train station
'There are too many people and it is too crowded'
Adam Withnall @adamwithnall 8 hours ago



Passengers wait to enter a railway station after trains were delayed due to bad weather in southern China in Guangzhou Reuters
More than 100,000 people have been stranded at a train station in southern China after heavy snows disrupted public transport in the run-up to Chinese New Year.

The holiday seasons sees hundreds of millions of migrant workers make long journeys home to celebrate with their families – but it has coincided with some of the worst winter weather conditions across eastern Asia for a generation.

Videos and images posted to social media showed officials struggling to control vast crowds outside the central railway station in Guangzhou, where there were significant delays.

About 176,000 passengers had reportedly been due to pass through the station on Monday alone, and numbers began to pile up after a rare bout of freezing snow saw at least 23 trains delayed.

According to the Xinhua news agency, emergency measures were put in place to try and control passengers outside the station and “avoid the dangers of overcrowding”.

State broadcasters said more than 50,000 were stranded, but other local and international media put the number above 100,000 at its peak.

“There are too many people and it is too crowded,” one stranded passenger, who was not named, told CCTV.

Xinhua has said the country is bracing for record levels of passengers this year, as people brave the travel chaos lasting about 40 days around the New Year itself, which falls this year on 8 February.

[GeneChing]

PRC isn't allowing Deadpool to be distributed in there.