Wellbeing Ox
福春牛
Steady steps,
lasting strength.
In Chinese agricultural life, the ox has long stood close to the rhythms of the land — ploughing fields, carrying weight, and moving forward with patience rather than speed.
That quiet strength shaped the beginning of Wellbeing Ox. I wanted it to carry the spirit of Chinese folk art: simple, familiar, and immediately recognizable, like the gentle water buffalo that often appears in traditional Chinese paintings.
I made Wellbeing Ox for the Year of the Ox in 2021. I am from Wuhan, and by then the pandemic had already changed everyday life far beyond the city where it first entered my own experience. Across the world, illness, uncertainty, and the hope for ordinary safety still shaped the beginning of the year.
While looking through old Chinese folk customs, I came across a practice from times of epidemic: people would cut paper images of an ox and place them on their doors, saying, 「瘟災瘟難，老牛頂散。」 — a wish that the old ox might drive sickness and disaster away.
In an ordinary New Year, words about illness would hardly feel auspicious. But in 2021, this old blessing suddenly felt immediate again. It belonged to that particular moment.
The form took longer to resolve. At first, I imagined four thick cylindrical legs, and even needle-felted a small ox to test the shape. But the soft stuffing kept turning every plane into something rounder than I wanted.
Eventually, I stopped forcing the material to behave like wood or clay. I hid the legs beneath the body and let the printed imagery complete the form instead.
The wooden horns were painted by hand, one coat at a time. On the body, I printed the old blessing 「瘟災瘟難，老牛頂散。」 Across its back, I added two quieter characters: 「安康」 — a wish for peace, health, and everyday well-being.
After everything that year had brought, those words felt more important than decoration. They became the reason for the name Fuchun Ox (福春牛): a New Year companion carrying a simple wish that spring might return in peace.
Made by Hand
Original patterns are screen-printed onto fabric, then each piece is cut, sewn, filled, and finished by hand. Small variations are part of the process, making every zodiac companion slightly different.
Zodiac Years
People born in the Year of the Ox include:
1925 · 1937 · 1949 · 1961 · 1973 · 1985 · 1997 · 2009 · 2021
Your zodiac year returns every twelve years.
For those born in the Year of the Ox, 2033 is one of those special years.
