Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1956 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Monkey
丙申年 Fire Monkey, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Monkey, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1956.
The answer
1956 is the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Monkey year, 丙申 (bǐng shēn) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 12 February 1956 to 30 January 1957, so people born from 1 January to 11 February 1956 belong to the previous animal, the Goat. China recorded 19.82 million births in 1956.
1956 at a glance
- Animal
- Monkey 猴 (hóu), ninth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yang (阳), from the stem 丙 (bǐng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丙申 bǐng shēn · the same Fire Monkey year was 2016 and comes again in after 2100
- Starts
- Sunday, 12 February 1956 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Wednesday, 30 January 1957 · the Year of the Rooster begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1956 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1956
- 19.82 million in mainland China (NBS), −0.1% on 1955
- Age in 2026
- Turns 70 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2028
- Best matches
- Rat and Dragon (三合 trine), Snake (六合 pair) · clashes with the Tiger
Born in 1956? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1956 the cut-off was 12 February 1956.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 11 Feb 1956 1956 | Goat 羊 | Wood | 乙未 |
| 12 Feb 1956 – 31 Dec 1956 | Monkey 猴 | Fire | 丙申 |
| 1 Jan 1957 – 30 Jan 1957 | Monkey 猴 (still) | Fire | 丙申 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1956 in 1956) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Monkeys: China’s births in 1956
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 19.82 million births in mainland China in 1956, −0.1% compared with 1955 (19.84 million); 1957 had 21.69 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1956 ranks 37th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1956’s babies belong to the Goat and the first weeks of 1957 to the Monkey. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Monkey means
Tradition calls Monkey people clever, lively and versatile, and pairs them best with the Rat and Dragon. The element adds a layer: a Fire Monkey is read differently from a Earth Monkey. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Monkey years. Read the full Year of the Monkey guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Monkey
The Monkey returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Monkey itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 2 Feb 1908 | 21 Jan 1909 |
| 1920 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 20 Feb 1920 | 7 Feb 1921 |
| 1932 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 6 Feb 1932 | 25 Jan 1933 |
| 1944 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 25 Jan 1944 | 12 Feb 1945 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 12 Feb 1956 | 30 Jan 1957 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey 土猴 · 戊申 | 30 Jan 1968 | 16 Feb 1969 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey 金猴 · 庚申 | 16 Feb 1980 | 4 Feb 1981 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey 水猴 · 壬申 | 4 Feb 1992 | 22 Jan 1993 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey 木猴 · 甲申 | 22 Jan 2004 | 8 Feb 2005 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey 火猴 · 丙申 | 8 Feb 2016 | 27 Jan 2017 |
Matches for people born in 1956
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1956
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1956. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1956 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 12 February 1956 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 26 February 1956 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1956 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 13 June 1956 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 19 September 1956 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 11 February 1956 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1956?
1956 is the Year of the Monkey (猴, hóu). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丙申, a Fire Monkey year, yang (阳). It began on 12 February 1956 and ended on 30 January 1957; 1957 is the Year of the Rooster.
I was born in January or February 1956. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Monkey started on 12 February 1956. Born on or after that date, you are a Monkey; born between 1 January and 11 February 1956, you are a Goat. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1956 in 1956; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1956 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丙 (bǐng), which also makes 1956 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Monkey, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 2016 and the next is after 2100.
How old is someone born in 1956 in 2026?
Someone born in 1956 turns 70 in 2026 (69 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 71 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Monkey?
The Year of the Monkey returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1956?
About 19.82 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −0.1% compared with 1955. That ranks 1956 37th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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