Special: All about the Year of the Rabbit

Rabbit Creations 

In 2011, the Chinese New Year starts on Feb 3, which, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, is the first day of the first month. This year's Chinese New Year is the Year of the Rabbit.

Rabbit is the fourth of the 12 Chinese Zodiac parts, in the sequence of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. As a result, the Year of the Rabbit is the fourth year in a 12-year cycle.

In Chinese culture, rabbit can be used to symbolize the moon. Ancient Chinese believed there was a rabbit living on the moon. They could see it on the shiny full moon on Mid-Autumn Day (the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar). Though the success of the Apollo Program proved the rabbit never lived on the moon, but its lucky image never faded.

The rabbit, called in Chinese the Jade Rabbit or the Moon Rabbit, is a companion of the Moon Goddess who never grows old. It makes medicine by grinding herb with a mortar and pestle.

According to Beijing folklore, the rabbit came down to earth as a girl, riding on a horse, a tiger or a lion, traveled in the city, and saved many from a serious epidemic, thus Beijingers make statuettes of a rabbit wearing armor and riding a tiger in tribute.

Rabbits, especially ones with white hair, are also a symbol of longevity in traditional Chinese culture. The ancient Chinese believed it was the incarnation of Alioth, the brightest star of the Triones.

Besides the divine image, Chinese people regard the rabbit, pronounced "Tu" in Chinese, as the embodiment of cleverness. There are many idioms to describe its vigilance and agility, for example:

Dong Ruo Tuo Tu: as nimble as a rabbit that has broken loose.

Wu Fei Tu Zou: time passes so fast, just like how the crow (the sun) and the rabbit (the moon) travel every day.

Shou Zhu Dai Tu: to wait by a tree which a rabbit rushed into and died, hoping to get another prey with the same good luck.

Jiao Tu San Ku: a canny rabbit always has several holes, making it hard for predators to track it down.

A vendor sells rabbit toys and New Year decorations at a market in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang province on Jan 15, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Pet bunny sales multiply like rabbits

As the Year of the Rabbit approaches, sales of anything related to this small mammal are booming.

The sales of pet rabbits in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province have nearly doubled compared to the same time last year, the Chengdu-based Tianfu Morning Post reported Wednesday.

A common domestic rabbit costs only 15 yuan ($2.28) to 35 yuan ($5.32), according to the report. High-grade rabbits like Holland Lop, Angora, and Lionhead breeds are priced at several hundred yuan.

Rabbits that are purple, brown or black in color are expensive but popular among white collar workers due to their rareness, said Tan Nenghui, a local pet shop owner in Chengdu. 

Rabbit-shaped sound boxes and lights sold in a shop named "OKJEE" on the famous online shopping website Taobao. [Photo/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Rabbit cartoons to be released

Six animation films involving characters of rabbits will be released this year, according to the State Administration of Radio film and Television.

The films include the first domestic 3D animation film, Legend of a Rabbit, and Moon Castle: The space adventure, the third movie of the Chinese cartoon series of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.

The producers are confident that the animal-themed New Year movies will be a hit, eyeing high box-office receipts and related product development.

Tourists at the Northeast Asia Ski Center in Shenyang, Liaoning province, take part in a game of catch the rabbit on Jan 20, 2011. [Photo/China Daily]

Chinese leap at chance to buy a bunny

Pet shops in China and throughout Asia have been busy trying to keep up with demand for bunnies ahead of the start of the Year of the Rabbit, something that has prompted warnings from animal rights campaigners.

Pet shop owners in cities including Tianjin, Changsha in Hunan province, Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, Shenzhen in Guangdong province and Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, have all reported that rabbits are now more popular than more traditional pets.

Meanwhile, quarantine inspection officials also warned that rabbits can be difficult pets to keep. Under the law, vendors and their pets are required to regularly visit quarantine stations for pet immunizations and disease prevention measures, and to receive the relevant certificates.More>>

A funny bunny made of jade

A gray-cyan jade rabbit pendant is set to have viewers hopping to it as the Year of the Rabbit dawns.

The top-rated relic at the Tianjin Museum of Art is believed to have been unearthed from Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BC) ruins in Henan province. The museum acquired it from a private collector in the 1950s.

The small artifact - 3.1 cm high, 6.4 cm wide, and 0.4 cm thick - is a big deal in archeological terms. Its creators carved the flat black jade with parallel, incised lines (commonly known as double-hook lines), in the pattern of flowing clouds and gouged out two small holes for its front legs.

With its eyes wide and ears down, the rabbit looks as if it's ready to run.More>>