Chinese New Year 2019 – The official CNY19 Google Doodle

 

 

This year marks the transition from the Year of the Dog to that of the Pig, the last animal in the cycle of 12 that represent each year in the shēngxiào, or Chinese zodiac. Pigs are considered a sign of prosperity in Asian culture, and those born in the year of the Pig are said to be sincere, good-natured, and honest.

Today’s Doodle also celebrates the ancient tradition of shadow puppetry, which also has a special place in the festivities. This year, people all over the world can Celebrate Lunar New Year and the ancient storytelling art of shadow puppetry with Shadow Art. Users can form one of the twelve zodiac animal hand gestures in front of their camera and the AI system, built with Tensorflow, will play a short clip matching the shadow puppet that’s been made.

Credits: Google, Google Doodles Archive

The Umbrella Revolution

 

 

In 2014, Hong Kong saw protests against the downgrading of democracy in the Chinese-ruled territory. Many protesters came with yellow umbrellas which soon became a symbol of their agitation.

Credits: Carl Burton, ////////// and Tumblr via Britt Bailey, Haven: Environment and Pinterest

Distractions at the cinema

 

Things that irk me at the pictures: overamorous couples, loudmouths, PDAs, teenagers (some mind you), people standing up in front of the screen, sticky floors….

Credits: LTH via Films and More Films, GifCities and Internet Archive

Going places

 

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

Credits: Rebecca Hendin and Giphy