Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1960 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rat
庚子年 Metal Rat, yang (阳)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rat, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1960.
The answer
1960 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Rat year, 庚子 (gēng zǐ) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961, so people born from 1 January to 27 January 1960 belong to the previous animal, the Pig. China recorded 13.91 million births in 1960.
1960 at a glance
- Animal
- Rat 鼠 (shǔ), first of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yang (阳), from the stem 庚 (gēng)
- 60-year cycle
- 庚子 gēng zǐ · the same Metal Rat year was 1900 and comes again in 2020
- Starts
- Thursday, 28 January 1960 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Tuesday, 14 February 1961 · the Year of the Ox begins the next day
- Lichun
- 5 February 1960 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1960
- 13.91 million in mainland China (NBS), −15.7% on 1959
- Age in 2026
- Turns 66 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2032
- Best matches
- Dragon and Monkey (三合 trine), Ox (六合 pair) · clashes with the Horse
Born in 1960? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1960 the cut-off was 28 January 1960.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 27 Jan 1960 1960 | Pig 猪 | Earth | 己亥 |
| 28 Jan 1960 – 31 Dec 1960 | Rat 鼠 | Metal | 庚子 |
| 1 Jan 1961 – 14 Feb 1961 | Rat 鼠 (still) | Metal | 庚子 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (5 February 1960 in 1960) 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 Rats: China’s births in 1960
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 13.91 million births in mainland China in 1960, −15.7% compared with 1959 (16.5 million); 1961 had 11.9 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1960 ranks 70th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1960’s babies belong to the Pig and the first weeks of 1961 to the Rat. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rat means
Tradition calls Rat people quick-witted, adaptable and sociable, and pairs them best with the Dragon and Monkey. The element adds a layer: a Metal Rat is read differently from a Water Rat. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rat years. Read the full Year of the Rat guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rat
The Rat returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Rat itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 31 Jan 1900 | 18 Feb 1901 |
| 1912 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 18 Feb 1912 | 5 Feb 1913 |
| 1924 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 5 Feb 1924 | 23 Jan 1925 |
| 1936 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 24 Jan 1936 | 10 Feb 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 10 Feb 1948 | 28 Jan 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 28 Jan 1960 | 14 Feb 1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat 水鼠 · 壬子 | 15 Feb 1972 | 2 Feb 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat 木鼠 · 甲子 | 2 Feb 1984 | 19 Feb 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat 火鼠 · 丙子 | 19 Feb 1996 | 6 Feb 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat 土鼠 · 戊子 | 7 Feb 2008 | 25 Jan 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat 金鼠 · 庚子 | 25 Jan 2020 | 11 Feb 2021 |
Matches for people born in 1960
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 1960
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1960. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1960 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 28 January 1960 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 11 February 1960 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1960 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 29 May 1960 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 5 October 1960 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 27 January 1960 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1960?
1960 is the Year of the Rat (鼠, shǔ). In the full 60-year cycle it is 庚子, a Metal Rat year, yang (阳). It began on 28 January 1960 and ended on 14 February 1961; 1961 is the Year of the Ox.
I was born in January or February 1960. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rat started on 28 January 1960. Born on or after that date, you are a Rat; born between 1 January and 27 January 1960, you are a Pig. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 5 February 1960 in 1960; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1960 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 庚 (gēng), which also makes 1960 a yang (阳) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Rat, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1900 and the next is 2020.
How old is someone born in 1960 in 2026?
Someone born in 1960 turns 66 in 2026 (65 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 67 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rat?
The Year of the Rat returns every 12 years.
How many babies were born in China in 1960?
About 13.91 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −15.7% compared with 1959. That ranks 1960 70th 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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