First Across the Line

Were you, or someone you know, born in the Year of the Rat?

1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

Naturally curious, people born in the Year of the Rat are considered clever and adaptable.

Legend tells of a Great Race that decided the order of the lunar animals. The finish lay beyond a river, but the rat is a resourceful creature. Hatching a plan to ride across the water on the back of the ox, the rat jumped off just before the end to sneak ahead and win. So, as the cycle starts anew in 2020, as the first sign, it’s the rat’s turn in the spotlight.

Launched in 2014, The Shēngxiào Collection fuses British craftsmanship with ancient Chinese tradition, celebrating each animal of the lunar calendar in turn.