Tigers and Rats and Snakes, Oh My!
Chinese Zodiac Symbols — Fact or Fantasy?
11:00 a.m., Monday, Nov. 5, 2007
Webster Hall Auditorium
Admission: free

According to Chinese custom, every year has a corresponding “birthpet” — the mouse, cattle, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig. When a baby is born, special attention is paid to the mannerisms of that year’s birthpet. Professor Feng Lei relates some interesting stories about the birthpet and its impact on modern Chinese society.

Feng Lei, a Chinese university English lecturer at Beijing Jiaotong University, is spending the fall semester at MSSU. She received her bachelor’s degree in English education from Hebei Teachers’ University and her master’s degree in English linguistics from Beijing Foreign Studies University. She is also responsible for the Voice of Campus (VOC) English radio program at Beijing Jiaotong University.