Chinese Company Implements Zodiac Sign-Based Hiring Restrictions to Ward Off Misfortune

Astrology remains deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, permeating into the business world. Business choices are often influenced by superstitions, from preferring auspicious numbers to avoiding specific colors or dates to integrating feng shui principles into corporate decisions.

Recent focus on the superstition has been directed towards Sanxing Transportation, a company in Guangdong Province, southern China, due to its unconventional hiring policy. As reported by the South China Morning Post, the organization has gained attention on Chinese social media for explicitly prohibiting job seekers born in the Year of the Dog. Their justification for this choice is that individuals born under the dog astrological sign may bring misfortune to the company’s leader, who is a dragon. The clash in the 12-year astrological cycle between the dragon and dog is symbolized in Chinese astrology.

Sanxing Transportation’s job posting for a clerk position, offering a monthly salary ranging between 3,000 and 4,000 yuan (around Rs 35,140 and Rs 46,853), has specified that individuals born under the dog sign need not apply. This clearly showcases the company’s reliance on astrology-related superstitions to influence its recruitment practices.

According to SCMP, on August 2, an employee informed Hubei Television that the company’s decision to ban these applicants was due to their boss being a “dragon,” and “dragons and dogs do not have a good relationship.”.

They mentioned that less qualified candidates would be considered “as long as their astrological sign is not the dog.” Each astrological sign corresponds to an “earthly branch” and is associated with one of the “five phases”: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

It is believed that the dragon has a water element, whereas the dog has a fire element. Consequently, when a dragon collaborates with a dog, they often clash. Superstitious beliefs also depict dog individuals as vengeful and capable of bringing misfortune to the careers of dragon individuals. In terms of romantic relationships, the opposite is believed to be true. It is thought that individuals born in the Year of the Dog would face more challenges if they were in a relationship with dragon astrological individuals because dragons are perceived as less loyal and tolerant. This belief is also intertwined with feng shui theories, suggesting that if dog and dragon astrological individuals are colleagues, they could place auspicious symbols in the workplace to promote harmony.

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