January 25, 2020, marks the beginning of the Year of the Rat 鼠, the first animal in the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese character shu 鼠can refer to both the rat or mouse. In the traditional Chinese calendar, each year bears an animal zodiac symbol. People born in a specific year are thought to have attributes of that year’s animal.

Burial figure of a calendrical rat, China, moulded earthenware, Han Dynasty, 206 BC-220 AD, 24.8 × 6.9 cm