Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1971 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Pig
辛亥年 Metal Pig, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Pig, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1971.
The answer
1971 is the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac: a Metal Pig year, 辛亥 (xīn hài) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 27 January 1971 to 14 February 1972, so people born from 1 January to 26 January 1971 belong to the previous animal, the Dog. China recorded 25.78 million births in 1971.
1971 at a glance
- Animal
- Pig 猪 (zhū), twelfth of the 12
- Element
- Metal 金, yin (阴), from the stem 辛 (xīn)
- 60-year cycle
- 辛亥 xīn hài · the same Metal Pig year was 1911 and comes again in 2031
- Starts
- Wednesday, 27 January 1971 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Monday, 14 February 1972 · the Year of the Rat begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1971 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1971
- 25.78 million in mainland China (NBS), −5.8% on 1970
- Age in 2026
- Turns 55 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2031
- Best matches
- Rabbit and Goat (三合 trine), Tiger (六合 pair) · clashes with the Snake
Born in 1971? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1971 the cut-off was 27 January 1971.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 26 Jan 1971 1971 | Dog 狗 | Metal | 庚戌 |
| 27 Jan 1971 – 31 Dec 1971 | Pig 猪 | Metal | 辛亥 |
| 1 Jan 1972 – 14 Feb 1972 | Pig 猪 (still) | Metal | 辛亥 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1971 in 1971) 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 Pigs: China’s births in 1971
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 25.78 million births in mainland China in 1971, −5.8% compared with 1970 (27.36 million); 1972 had 25.66 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1971 ranks 7th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1971’s babies belong to the Dog and the first weeks of 1972 to the Pig. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Pig means
Tradition calls Pig people generous, sincere and optimistic, and pairs them best with the Rabbit and Goat. The element adds a layer: a Metal Pig is read differently from a Water Pig. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Pig years. Read the full Year of the Pig guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Pig
The Pig returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Metal Pig itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 30 Jan 1911 | 17 Feb 1912 |
| 1923 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 16 Feb 1923 | 4 Feb 1924 |
| 1935 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 4 Feb 1935 | 23 Jan 1936 |
| 1947 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 22 Jan 1947 | 9 Feb 1948 |
| 1959 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 8 Feb 1959 | 27 Jan 1960 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 27 Jan 1971 | 14 Feb 1972 |
| 1983 | Water Pig 水猪 · 癸亥 | 13 Feb 1983 | 1 Feb 1984 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig 木猪 · 乙亥 | 31 Jan 1995 | 18 Feb 1996 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig 火猪 · 丁亥 | 18 Feb 2007 | 6 Feb 2008 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig 土猪 · 己亥 | 5 Feb 2019 | 24 Jan 2020 |
| 2031 | Metal Pig 金猪 · 辛亥 | 23 Jan 2031 | 10 Feb 2032 |
Matches for people born in 1971
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 1971
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1971. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1971 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 27 January 1971 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 10 February 1971 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1971 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 28 May 1971 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 3 October 1971 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 26 January 1971 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1971?
1971 is the Year of the Pig (猪, zhū). In the full 60-year cycle it is 辛亥, a Metal Pig year, yin (阴). It began on 27 January 1971 and ended on 14 February 1972; 1972 is the Year of the Rat.
I was born in January or February 1971. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Pig started on 27 January 1971. Born on or after that date, you are a Pig; born between 1 January and 26 January 1971, you are a Dog. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1971 in 1971; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1971 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal (金, jīn). The element comes from the heavenly stem 辛 (xīn), which also makes 1971 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Metal Pig, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1911 and the next is 2031.
How old is someone born in 1971 in 2026?
Someone born in 1971 turns 55 in 2026 (54 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 56 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Pig?
2031, starting on 23 January 2031. For someone born in 1971 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1971?
About 25.78 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −5.8% compared with 1970. That ranks 1971 7th 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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