I was born in the Year of the Horse and in my younger days, rode wild horses in the Australian outback, so let’s saddle up and see what the placards displaying the fortunes of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals at Albert Street in Bugis can tell us about markets and China this year. The Year of the Fire Horse is a year of intense, fast-paced energy focused on freedom, innovation and bold, rapid change. It is a high-stakes, action-oriented year that rewards courage and ambition.
The Chinese term for “immediate speed”, 马上 (ma shang), literally means “get up on the horse”. Americans like to think they are unique in their tradition of the cowboy on horseback in the Wild West. They fail to appreciate the decisive role the horse has played in Chinese history. They never pause to wonder why the famous horse paintings by the late artist Xu Beihong are so often found in Chinese restaurants across the world.
The American concept of the Pony Express, in which mail and messages were delivered at speed by a relay of horses, was modelled on the imperial postal system used in 13th-century China, as reported by Marco Polo.
