About Shengxiao

Why this site exists

Many English-language zodiac pages repeat the same short list and the same race story. Fewer explain the earthly branches, the heavenly stems, the 60-year cycle, or why a January birthday can produce a different sign. This site tries to give the popular answer quickly and the accurate answer underneath it.

It is a reference, not a fortune-telling service. The Chinese zodiac is a cultural system with a long history. It is also not a scientific description of personality, health or relationships. Both statements can be true at once, and the site is written to keep them together.

How we research

• Calendar dates come from the Hong Kong Observatory's Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Table (1901–2100), with 1900 supplied from the same civil sequence. The 2026 and 2027 dates are checked directly against the HKO tables; the full table is cross-checked against an independent astronomical dataset.
• Sexagenary labels — the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches — follow the standard sequence. We show the Chinese characters and pinyin so readers can check the term.
• Historical claims are hedged where the evidence is contested. The 12-animal set is firmly attested in Eastern Han material; the Jade Emperor race is a folktale, not a historical record. We do not present the race as the origin of the calendar.
• Personality and compatibility descriptions are editorial summaries of traditional lore. They are not presented as tested facts, and we avoid inventing detailed yearly “predictions” that no source supports.
• External sources are linked where they are useful. We do not copy long passages from other sites; the prose here is written for this site.

What we will not do

• We will not tell you that a zodiac sign decides your health, your marriage or your financial future.
• We will not present a folk category as a scientific finding, or a “lucky number” list as advice.
• We will not use fear to sell a remedy, a ritual or a report.
• We will not publish a date or a historical claim we cannot source or reasonably explain.

Sources used across the site

Corrections and contact

If a date, character, source or claim is wrong, please say which page and what you expected to see. Corrections with a source are especially welcome. Write to [email protected].

The site is static: no accounts, no comments and no user-generated content. The privacy policy explains the small amount of local browser storage used for the theme.

Last reviewed October 24, 2026.