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Cultural beliefs may affect demographic behaviors. According to traditional Chinese astrology, babies born on auspicious days will have good luck in their lifetime, whereas those born on inauspicious days will have bad luck. Using administrative data from birth certificates in Guangdong, China, we provide empirical evidence on the short-term effects of such numerological preferences. We find that approximately 3.9% extra births occur on auspicious days and 1.4% of births are avoided on inauspicious days. Additionally, there is a higher male/female sex ratio for births on auspicious days. Since such manipulation of the birthdate is typically performed through scheduled C-sections, C-section births increase significantly on auspicious days. Moreover, we use a second dataset to examine the long-term effect of numerological preferences and find that people born on auspicious days are more likely to attend college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the astral knowledge of the East Syriac Christians in China (formerly known as Nestorians) and its development from the Tang Dynasty onward. In particular, I will focus on the process of transmission of Hellenistic astral science from the Near East via the Silk Road and Central Asia to East Asia, as well as the role of the Christians of the Church of the East, including most notably the Sino-Persian Li family, in disseminating foreign astronomical knowledge throughout China during the late first millennium AD. Among the most important sources is a text titled Yusi jing, translated from an unknown language into Chinese some time after the seventh century AD. An examination of its content reveals a striking resemblance to Dorotheus' Carmen Astrologicum (first century AD). Subsequently, the text went through a long course of transformation and sinicisation, and had wide influence to the evolution of Chinese astrological and mantic science (fate calculation) through the second millennium AD. As it will be demonstrated, the eastward transmission of Greco-Persian astral science was a part of the greater picture of the circulation of knowledge in Eurasia during the first millennium AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to Western science and religion, a topic which has been studied very much since the twentieth century, less research has been done on science and Confucianism. By way of a comparative viewpoint within the history of science, this article will deal with some aspects of science and Confucianism in retrospect, for instance, the Confucian origin of the idea of tian yuan di fang 天圓地方, the natural philosophy of qi, and the wu xing li tian zhi qi 五行沴天之氣 bringing abnormal astrological phenomena and reflecting a negative Confucian relation between politics, ethics, and nature. In the late Ming, Xiong Mingyu found that abnormal astrological phenomena, as atmospheric events, happened in the sublunar region rather than in the stars, and in the present time we can reinterpret the crisis of air pollution or global climate change as reflecting a negative Confucian relation between politics, ethics, and nature and as a warning of collective misbehavior in our use of modern scientific technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a report on a conference in Arabic influences on Western and Asian civilizations, held at the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, from January 21-23, 2014. Topics of discussion included Latin translations of classical Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek texts about divination, the reception of Islamic scholars Avicenna and Rhazes in medieval European medical education, and the influence of Islamic astrology in early modern China.

The article discusses the process of asteroid knowledge transmission into China before I860's by comparing different Chinese terms for asteroids. Topics discussed include various studies on asteroids and astronomical observation after 1870, transmission of western science into late Qing China and variation in knowledge introduction about asteroids that reveal dissemination of western astronomy in China.

The article focuses on the spread of European astrology in China by studying the circulation of astrology in imperial courts and general public during late Ming and early Qing period. Topics discussed include translation of the book "Tianbu Zhenyuan" into Chinese by the Polish Jesuit J. N. Smogulecki, introduction of Western astrology into China and use of the book by many imperial astronomers.

The article discusses the system of China's Tibetan Astrology which is under the combination of Chinese and Indian methods. It states that Tibetans who are poor on the ability of calculating used planetary tables from the Indians and practiced the use of the animal signs for various forms of astrology. It also adds that numbers in Tibetan astrology are counted forward, backward and in any unlike combinations making it ironic and complicated requiring expert in astrology to do it for them.

From 29 to 31 October 2010, the first national seminar examining the academic thought of Ming-Qing mathematician Xue Fengzuo (1600-1680) was held in Xue's hometown district of Linzi in Zibo city, Shandong. Panel discussions at the conference, sponsored in part by the China Research Society of Dialectics of Nature, the Chinese Society for the History of Science and Technology, and the Shandong Natural Dialectics Institute, covered such topics as Xue's astronomical and astrological methods, mathematical contributions, and thoughts on combining elements of Eastern and Western scientific study to advance scientific knowledge in general.

In discussing the two problems about the ancient Islamic astronomical institutions in Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the author believes what the cardinal motive of the Yuan and Ming governments to set up such astronomical institutions was to utilize the Islamic astrology and that “yongxing” was a kind of activity for worshiping stars which was also relevant to astrology. Discussions on the topics mentioned above contribute to a further understanding of the political and cultural backgrounds for the spread and transmission of Islamic astronomy in China, and to a comprehensive knowledge about the diversity of the work of Islamic astronomers in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Junqi astrology, as part of qi divination in ancient Chinese astrology, has very early origins. One of the classics of Junqi astrology is Yisi Astrology, compiled by Li Chunfeng in the Tang dynasty. The main tenet of this work appears to run counter to that of the Old History of the Tang Dynasty, which maintains that "What heaven ordains can never be defied." However, underlying this conflict is a humanistic concern for the role of celestial phenomena in intervening in human affairs and restraining imperial power. As well as containing elements of natural science, ancient Chinese astronomy is distinguished precisely by a powerful humanistic appeal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the continuous debate regarding the direction of the planetary revolution in China from the early Han to the Qing Dynasties. It notes that the concept of single-layer celestial sphere dominated Chinese astronomy afterwards. It is stated that the main reason is that the right evolution doctrine of the seven luminaries arose under the framework of the Spherical Celestial Theory.

The article gathers Chinese records of the Venus transit of 1874 which include prediction observation and astrological discussion. According to the article, the Venus transit is significant in the measurement of the distance between the sun and the earth. It is stated that the transit happened in 1874 and was only visible in China and other locations in eastern sphere.

In August of 1607, Matteo Ricci talked with Xu Guangqi about western techniques of water control, which led to the publication of the Taixi shuifa (Western Methods of Water [Control]) written mainly by Sabbathinus de Ursis, in which Xu Guangqi was responsible for 'extensively explaining' (yanshuo) its fifth chapter (juan), entitled `Questions concerning the methods of water [control]' (Shuifa huowen) This paper aims at exploring this chapter's historical significance and impact. From the questions and answers of Chinese and Western literati featured in the chapter, it becomes clear that Xu Guangqi was the first Chinese scholar who adopted the Aristotelian Four Elements Theory to criticize the traditional astrology and divination techniques of the Five Phases (wu xing) theory. In turn, Xiong Mingyu (1579-1649) was influenced by Xu Guangqi's `extensive explanations' found in the Shuifa huowen. In his Ze cao and Gezhi cao Xiong not only used the term `extensive explanations' several times but also quoted or paraphrased a considerable portion of the contents of the Shuifa huowen. Furthermore, he extended Xu Guangqi's approach to a number of phenomena related to astrology, thus advancing the understanding of Western natural knowledge in China. In sun, this paper claims that Xu Guangqi's Shuifa huowen provides the missing link between Jesuit writings and Xiong Mingyu's critique of traditional Chinese astrology and divination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instrumental variables (IV) estimates of the effect of fertility on female labour supply have only been able to identify the causal effect of second and higher parity children. This study uses exogenous variation in fertility caused by the Chinese lunar calendar to identify the effect of the first child. Additionally, weighting formulas are presented to interpret IV estimates as weighted average treatment effects in the case of multiple endogenous variables, which are useful when children vary in intensity by both number and age. The effect of the first child is found to be much greater than that of other children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

D. P. Phillips, T. E. Ruth, and L. M. Wagner (1993) reported that 1969-1990 California mortality data show that Chinese Americans are particularly vulnerable to diseases that Chinese astrology and traditional Chinese medicine associate with their birth years. For example, because fire is associated with the heart, a Chinese person born in a fire year (such as 1937) is more likely to die of heart disease than is a Chinese person born in a nonfire year. However, many diseases were excluded from this study, some diseases that were included have ambiguous links to birth years, and the statistical tests were indirect. A more complete statistical analysis and independent California mortality data for the years 1960-1968 and 1991-2002 did not replicate the original results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, belief in the Chinese zodiac promotes the superstition that the timing of one's birth determines one's fate. Adherence to this belief has resulted in increased birth rates during Dragon years and, hence, problems in the logistics of providing certain public goods and services (such as schools and medical services) by governments. Despite the possible economic impacts of this superstition on society, no previous study has attempted to test its validity. Using the 1991 and 1996 Hong Kong census data sets, as well as the standard return-to-education methodology, we do not find any evidence for this pervasive superstition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the origins of the Old Turkic 12-year animal cycle, where the years are named after animals including rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. A brief background and a comparison of the animals in the 12-year animal cycle and the habitual names of these animals in China, Thailand, and Mongolia are offered. This article also presents a discussion of the etymology of the animals included in the Old Turkic animal cycle list.

The annual total of births in Hong Kong SAR fell substantially in the past 20 years; hence the total fertility rate (TFR) followed the downward trend and dropped to a low of 0.9 below replacement level in 2000. Despite the longterm downward trend, short-run increases in the annual total of births and the TFR were exhibited. Such temporary fertility increases are identified in the Dragon Years of 1988 and 2000. The phenomenon of fertility changes associated with zodiacal animal years is examined in this paper with a view to gaining some insight into whether Chinese cultural preferences and folklore beliefs might have influenced prospective parents' reproductive behaviour. The paper explains the underlying philosophy of the Chinese astrological tradition and discusses how zodiacal preferences affect fertility between 1976 and 2000. The paper also explores why zodiacal influences on Chinese fertility before 1976 did not exist. It is unquestionable that the Dragon Year preference exerts an influence on fertility of modern Chinese populations through zodiacal birth-timing motivations. Birth rate rise in the Dragon Year is due to changes in timing of births that will have little effect on cumulative fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offers an account of the ancient Chinese system of judicial astrology known as field allocation (fenye) astrology. Historical account of Duke Wen of Jin's ascendancy; Principles of field-allocation astrology; Derivation of relevant astrological correspondences; Examples of fenye astrology.

The timing of births and marriages in Vietnam appears to have some statistically significant relationships with the signs of the Chinese and Vietnamese astrological calendars. Years considered to be good years have significantly more births and marriages than years that are not considered as desirable. Births and marriages also have some significant variations with seasons of the year. Infant deaths do not appear to have any significant relationships with the astrological signs although infant mortality has some significant relationships with seasons of the year. The findings indicate that there is some purposeful planning for marriages and births to coincide with optimal times defined in the astrological calendars. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of guiding his students to create a show that teaches about a whole different stars and constellations of the ancient Chinese astrology/astronomy.