Chinese company bans job applicants born in year of the dog to ward off bad luck
Head of Sanxing Transportation was born in year of the dragon and ‘dragons and dogs do not get along well’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Chinese company has banned anyone born in the year of the dog from applying for a job fearing it would bring bad luck to the boss.
Sanxing Transportation, based in the southern province of Guangdong, posted a job description for a clerk’s role with a monthly salary of 3,000-4,000 yuan (£329-£439) but emphasised that no one born in the year of the dog need apply, theSouth China Morning Post reported.
The Chinese zodiac system is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year assigned an animal. Based on the year of birth, each person is assigned yin or yang energy and one of five Chinese zodiac elements — earth, metal, water, wood, fire. It is believed that the zodiac under which one is born influences their personality, career, relationships, and fortunes.
After Sanxing’s job post started gaining attention, an employee told Hubei Television on 2 August that they wouldn’t consider any applicant born in the year of the dog, no matter how qualified, because the company head was a “dragon” and “dragons and dogs do not get along well”.
The employee added that applicants who didn’t meet all the requirements would be considered “as long as their zodiac sign is not the dog”.
The most recent year of the dog was 2018. Before then it was 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946 and 1934.
According to the rules of the Chinese zodiac, people born in the year of the dog are positioned opposite those born in the year of the dragon and are likely to have a relationship full of conflict.
Sanxing’s job post brought it severe criticism on social media for being “too superstitious”.
“My boss asked for my birthday and horoscope, and after learning that I’m a rooster zodiac person who was born early in the morning, they believed I would be a hard worker and hired me,” a Weibo user said.
“I always thought it was difficult to find a job after age 35 but I didn’t expect my zodiac sign to be the problem,” said another.
Hiring people on the basis of their zodiac sign is not unheard of. In fact it even works the other way, with some potential employees turning down jobs because of the lack of zodiac compatibility.
A Hong Kong travel agency previously advertised a job and specifically said they wanted to hire people born under the Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius signs.
A woman in Chongqing, China, turned down a job because she was a Leo while her reporting manager was a Pisces.
According to The New Republic, virgos, born between 23 August and 22 September, had the most difficulty getting hired because their personalities are meant to be “picky, they’re spoiled, they’re fussy to the point of being obsessive-compulsive”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments