The Eagle and the Snake
The name China conjures up the image of an exotic area of the world, filled with ancient knowledge, a forbidden city, mythical dragons, and an illustrious history, much of which was hidden from Western eyes for centuries. The current, less reclusive, version of China was born officially on October 1, 1949, when Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China at a rally in Beijing. According to Nick Campion’s The Book of World Horoscopes, there are two proposed times for a chart for this version of China (3:01 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. AWST), and for this article we’ll be using the first, which seems to have better historical support.
The Ascendant for either version is appropriately enough in Aquarius, the sign of rebellion, revolution, and upheaval. It is also the sign that governs invention, original thinking, and the belief that everyone should dance to his or her own tune. That’s interesting from an astrological viewpoint, since under Mao’s China, independence of thought was essentially wiped out, and everyone was more or less programmed to be the same as everyone else. Given that, how can Aquarius be both the sign of revolution and of conformity? Well, it does have a dogmatic side, due to its Fixed quality. The dogma of the communist ideology took center stage, though along with it came the revolutionary spirit that brought modern China into being.
China’s Moon is also in Aquarius at 3 degrees,
