A crimson comb untrimmed on the head,
All in white, a rooster walks nearby.
In his life, seldom a single sound he’s made,
But thousands of doors soon open to his cry.
This inscription on the painting of a rooster by Tang Yin (1470–1524), also known as Tang Bohu, may be the best description of a proud white rooster, with bright red crest, that seldom crows during the day, yet, at the peek of dawn, thousands of households open their doors to his piercing cries.
With the crow of the golden rooster on Jan. 28, 2017, we enter the Year of the Rooster. The Rooster is the 10th of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese character for rooster (雞) refers to both hen and cock.
Before entering a new year, Chinese people will clean their houses, pay off their debts, purchase new clothes, paint their doors, and even get haircuts in order to have a fresh start.
