Chinese New Year's Day is drawing near, and this will be the Year of the Rooster. The rooster is the 10th animal in the 12-animal zodiac circle. In Chinese culture, the belief is that one's animal sign affects personality and fortune in various ways.

Many expats in China were born in the Year of the Rooster, such as 1993, 1981 and 1969. Metropolitan spoke with these "roosters" to see what they think of the zodiac system, and what they think their luck will be like in the new year.

Traits of the rooster

People born in the Year of the Rooster are said to be proud, confident, social, adventurous and talkative.

Ankit Nayal, an Indian expat who is a personal trainer in Sanlitun, Chaoyang district, was born in the Year of the Rooster.

Nayal admits that the character traits associated with being a "rooster" make sense to him.

"For example, I think being social is my strong point. That's why I do what I do, because I can communicate with people. It's not just about coming here to exercise. It's also about what is going on in their lives," he said.

In addition, the adventurous side can be seen through his being an expat in China. He also loves traveling and getting in touch with diverse customs and cultures in different regions across the country.

Janni Borch Hansen from Denmark was also born in the Year of the Rooster, and she recognizes the trait of being social in herself.

"I am one of those people who get my energy from being around other people. I like to talk, and I always think 'the more the merrier,'" she said. "I love meeting people, which is probably one of the reasons I love Beijing so much. There are so many quirky personalities here. Just take a walk in the streets and you will see it right away."

In Hansen's case, character traits associated with Chinese zodiac and Western horoscope have some things in common. As a "rooster" and a Gemini, Hansen is expected to be social, to like attention and to work best in groups or with people where she can share her thoughts and ideas.

Fire year

Each zodiac year is associated with one of the five elements - gold (or metal), wood, water, fire and earth, and 2017 is a fire year.

Born in 1981, Hansen is one of the "metal roosters" who are said to be calm, logical and powerful, but might have some mild disputes with their spouses often. "I do think that I am quite a calm person, and it takes a lot to stress me out," she said.

Those born in 1993 are "water roosters," and are believed to be smart, tenderhearted and compassionate.

Bien King is a Filipino who has been living in Beijing for three and a half years. King's mother reminded her that she was a water rooster, and for the coming metal rooster year, she should wear colors such as yellow and silver more to overcome the obstacles and bad luck that might be brought upon her.

Many family members have Chinese roots, and King grew up exposed to Chinese culture. According to King, many people in the Philippines are originally from China, and the local culture is greatly influenced by the Chinese.

When she was younger, King went through a phase of reading her horoscope daily in the newspaper. On some level, King finds her personality fits some of the traits associated with her birthday, including being a talkative person as a "rooster" and being outgoing as a Gemini. However, she mostly sees both systems as interesting supplements.

"I respect the culture and I will follow the advice," she said. "However, I believe in hard work. I earn my own destiny. Whatever happens to me this year, it's because of what I do to make it happen, not what my zodiac sign tells me I will experience."

Past and future predictions

According to the zodiac system, those born in the Year of the Rooster are supposed to have had a good year in 2016, the Year of the Monkey, and it was predicted that they have met very important people during the past year who have helped them greatly.

Hansen, who moved to Beijing in December 2015, had an exciting year in 2016. Things were tough in the beginning, but Hansen received a lot of help and quickly met many good people.

"As a newcomer, there are many things you don't know, and you don't know where to find the answers. I was very surprised how easy it was for me to meet people and find new friends. I am really grateful for that," she said.

Saul Stollery, a Briton who has just graduated with his master's from Tsinghua University, met many good people who helped him with his career and personally during the Year of the Monkey.

"There were people who have taken me on as their apprentice. I've been very lucky to come to China to gain opportunities and make lifelong friends," he said. Upon graduation, Stollery became involved in the rising industry of live streaming, where he has used his charming character and his ability to communicate to gain a large fan group over the last few months.

The first time he ever heard about the Chinese zodiac was at a Chinese restaurant in the UK, and he thought that the character traits of being proud, social and confident were quite accurate.

Meanwhile, his mother and younger brother were both born in the Year of the Dragon, and according to Stollery's observation, to some extent, they fit the characteristics of the traits associated with their zodiac sign, including being brave, honest and active. Some small disputes might be caused when dragons meet roosters, he said jestingly.

When each Chinese lunar new year comes, people born in that particular animal year are said to expect challenges and by using lucky charms, like a red bracelet or wearing red underwear, they can avoid bad luck.

"I am going to go on Taobao (China's largest online retailer) and buy everything in red, including boxers with rooster patterns on them," he said.

Hansen has recently started to notice where red clothing is sold, but she said she would not wear the color just to protect herself from bad luck.