Chinese artist Xu Beihong’s horse paintings have galloped through history.
龙马精神 (lóng mǎ jīng shén),
Wishing you the strength and vitality of a horse.
Welcome to your Ben Ming Nian, horses! 2026 is your zodiac year, a time when the energies of the horse double up. That means highs feel higher, and lows may test your patience — but it’s also a powerful year for growth and transformation.
As we leave behind the introspective and intuitive Year of the Snake, the Year of the Horse gallops in with vibrant, fiery energy, symbolising adventure, vitality, and momentum.
According to Chinese astrology, those born in the Year of the Horse are confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring both physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but can also be easily swayed and impatient.
In a rare moment of public vulnerability, China’s President Xi Jinping revealed in a January speech that an obscure Irish novel sustained him during his difficult teenage years in exile. Xi, the son of a powerful Communist Party official, was sent to the countryside at the age of 13 after his father was purged by Mao Zedong at the start of the Cultural Revolution. There, living alone in a cave, Xi found solace in The Gadfly, a novel of stirring revolutionary zeal and unceasing devotion in the face of adversity.
龙马精神 (lóng mǎ jīng shén),
Wishing you the strength and vitality of a horse.
Gerard Winter