Happy New Year! May you be prosperous!

The Putunghua greeting xīnnián kuàilè gōngxǐ fācái is heard around the world today, and with the global recession hitting below the belt worldwide, China remains conservatively upbeat with its confident economic management in spite of the not-too-rosy prognosis on trade and industry in the coming year.

The Year of the Dragon follows the lunisolar Chinese calendar.  The nongli agricultural calendar marks festive and significant events while the gongli common calendar is used for day-to-day reckoning.  It is year 4649 or 4709/4710 in the Yin/Moon continuous calendar (depending upon the starting epoch), and 2012 in Yang/Sun Gregorian calendar following the Anno Domini of the Christian dramaturgy.

There are two main thrusts of the aforementioned greeting.  The first is on the “new”, and the second, on “prosperity” and/or “happiness”. 

The emphasis on the “new” begins with finances.  The New Year requires that one meet all outstanding obligations.  Confucian charity is akin to the Jewish sense of jubilee where indebtedness is wiped out as if payments are no longer necessary.  Of course, the debtor loses face but collection attempt is not made.  The debtor, however, can restore social standing by meeting his obligations while the loaner graciously acquiesce without remorse or rancor.

The other emphasis is on “prosperity”, which translates to wealth.  Enumeration of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is a constitutionally protected right more than just an endearing principle from the American founding fathers.  The “pursuit of happiness” to New World residents from Europe meant the right to freely own land; they were not allowed to own property without sovereign say so.  In the same vein, when the Chinese wishes someone “happiness,” that generally means the presence of material wealth. 

Dwelling is high on that priority, more so in the relationship of the land to the landless.  Ownership of land is an achievement of a high order, and in the socialist structure where the means of production belongs to the state, access to real estate has sadly left a few with Mercedes Benzes while many rural folks are unhappy with the undervalued and often capricious appropriation of their land holdings for communal development.  The alienation of the same for public works that benefits only a few (like government-owned sports complexes that only a few can afford) is not popular either. 

The Chinese New Year also triggers new adornment, more so now that jewelry is used to hedge against monetary decline; there is attraction of precious metals and rare art tangibles.  China’s new five-year emphasis includes the inclusion and promotion of the nation’s art in the country’s economy.   

By the end of Jan. 22 when the Year of the Rabbit ushers the Year of the Dragon at midnight, dwellings are sparkling clean, clothings are brand new (red being the preferred color for the night), and people look forward to the establishment of new relationships.

Every New Year reveler wishes for physical wellbeing plus the enjoyment of abundant and good food.  Health is wealth. 

Much as the story of Lady Luck in the metaphor of superstition plays a major role on individual decisions, we are clear that in reality the complex confluence of chance, cause, and choice is at work. 

Meeting the Year of the Dragon in the CNMI is more than just allowing the remaining Chinese stragglers in the CNMI to pop their firecrackers.  Chinese workers who segued into other engagement in the Commonwealth are here to stay, and if determined attempts to sail into Guam are any indication, the least we can do is to aid remnants of the garment industry (we exploited their cheap labor) to find ways for a path to join the U.S. family.  If their only option is to join Falun Gong/Dafa to qualify for asylum, that might get rare talents on Shen Yan, but we would fail to benefit from useful skills that are already with us.

In the last decade, I watched CNMI’s brain drain into continental North America.  Homesteads originally intended for young families remain unutilized left in the care of elders, or worst, abandoned.  A wit quipped that the smart migrated while the incompetents stayed behind to be elected into office.  That’s not really fair.  We did elect the likes of a Tina Sablan to remind ourselves that there are brainy, sensible, and compassionate local human resources who are on island that we have not yet driven into the abyss of cynicism.

A lot of our energy are wasted in internecine fights between Uncles Ben/Eloy and their followers on home turf, unfairly, against Kilili’s solitary but effective/efficient delivery of federal benefits.  We are a recipient economy rather than a productive enterprise, and until we are on sure footing in the shifting currents of the global economy, we might heed the challenge of the Year of the Dragon: to move on to what is new.  Rather than be wisecracking ever-whining midnight chroniclers of doom, we may start visioning prosperous endeavors.  We may want our leaders to lead the way. 

Xīnnián kuàilè gōngxǐ fācái!