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Happy Lunar New Year! This week is a big, festive season for many people in Asia, from Korea to China and Southeast Asia, as well as those of Asian heritage around the world, as we celebrate the arrival of a new year, according to the lunisolar calendar. While the Lunar New Year began on January 29, the Year of the Snake officially begins on February 3, the “Start of Spring” day. To honor the occasion, The Asia Pivot has consulted feng shui masters and Chinese metaphysics practitioners about what’s in store for the new year. (Also to mark the moment: Here is a companion story on the role of snakes in art.)
The Global Outlook
This is the Year of the Wood Snake. The global economy will continue to be challenging until the 2027–28 fiscal year, according to the Hong Kong-based Keith Yun Qing Zi, who gave us a reading using the ancient divination method of Qimen Dunjia. Fellow Hong Kong-based Chinese metaphysics practitioner Chan Ying Yung, who also works in the art business, drew a similar conclusion based on his I Ching reading. “The global market will continue to be influenced by conflicts and divisions between nations,” Chan said.
The Singapore-based feng shui consultancy firm Way Fengshui has a more hopeful take on the new year, expecting the second half of 2025 to perform better than the first half of the year.
The Asian Economic Picture
Yun said that the economy in the United States will be a little bit better than in other countries, such as China. The south is not a favorable direction, he added, advising caution in the southern region of any country.
Both Chan and Way predicted that Asia will be more resilient than other regions. “The Asian market is better prepared and has more effective strategies to adapt to changes,” Chan said. He predicted that the market will remain stable in the spring but advised caution in the summer and fall. Expect signs of growth in the winter, he added.
Way said that China’s economy “will perform brilliantly,” while the U.S. economy “is expected to perform poorly in 2025,” particularly in the second half of the year. Europe is somewhere in between, according to Way.
Installation view, Double Threshold at Winter Street Gallery, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Winter Street Gallery.
The Art Market
Paintings and digital art are likely to attract major investment in the Year of the Snake, Yun said. Smaller paintings will likely do well in the market, he added, matching an observation that my colleague Kate Brown recently made. Abstract painting will excel, followed by landscapes. Orange, purple, and red are the most auspicious colors, he said. Figurative portraits may not perform as well as expected, except for nude and erotic works, in his estimation.
“Be cautious with trading sculptures,” Yun warned. His reading showed signs of deception, dishonest trading practice, and sales of counterfeits, particularly in the middle and the end of the year.
Chan suggested that artworks associated with Metal and Wood elements (the other three elements are Fire, Water, and Earth) are expected to do well. Works with green and cyan, and those using materials related to Wood, will be particularly strong in the East, while works in white, yellow, and gold made with Metal-related materials are favored in the West.
Period 9
According to Chinese feng shui calculations, the world last year entered Period 9, a new energy cycle that will endure for 20 years. During this period, which is characterized by the element of Fire (signifying innovation, creativity, and culture), art and technology are among the most auspicious industries, Way said, and that will become more evident as the calendar moves forward.
Way also said that “Southeast Asia is the most auspicious region in Period 9.” Hong Kong’s Yun echoed this view, while saying that it will take time for the area to heat up. “There is a lot of buzz from the region, both the economy and the art market, but the right timing has yet to arrive in the Year of the Snake,” Yun said.
Conclusion
Only time will tell if any of these predictions will actually come true. Feel free to take them with a grain of salt. In the meantime, The Asia Pivot wishes everyone good health, peace, and the best of luck in the Year of the Snake.
This article was originally published in The Asia Pivot on January 29.
