The 2018 Chinese New Year Day is on Friday, February 16, 2018 in China's time zone. This day is the new moon day of the first Chinese lunar month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar system. The exact new moon time is at 05:06 on 16-Feb-18 in China's time zone.

Chinese calendar combines solar, lunar and 60 Stem-Branch counting systems. The 60 Stem-Branch calendar uses the names of Yin Yang Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) and 12 animals to rank the sequences. Five elements are connected to five colors - White, Black, Green, Red, and Brown. So Chinese use the color animal name to count the year. The name of 2018 is the Yang Male Earth Dog. Brown is connected to Earth. Therefore, 2018 is also called Brown Earth Dog Year.

The first day of the Brown Dog is not the Chinese New Year in Chinese Astrology. The first day of the Tiger month is the first day of the Chinese Astrology year. This day is called Start of Spring, which is the date when the sun enters the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. This day is around February 4, each year. 2018 Chinese Brown Dog starts on February 4, 2018 in China's time zone. That means Chinese Lunar New Year is not the first day of Brown Dog Year. If a baby is born February 5, 2018, then baby's zodiac sign is the Dog, not Chicken.

The Chinese believe that the first king of China was the Yellow King (he was not the first emperor of China). The Yellow King became king in 2697 B.C., therefore China will enter the 4715th year on February 16, 2018. Also, the Chinese Year uses the cycle of 60 Stem-Branch counting systems and the Male Earth Dog is the 35th Stem-Branch in the cycle. Since 4715 = (60 *78) + 35, therefore 2018 of Earth Dog Year is the 4715th Chinese Year.

Some web sites say the year 2018 is the 4716th Chinese year. If you cannot find the explanation, here is a possible answer for you. The Yellow King's inauguration was held in the spring of 2697 B.C. But the calendar of Yellow King used the winter solstice day as the first day of the year. The winter solstice was on around December 23rd, 2698 B.C. Today's January 1st means nothing to Yellow King. If we count that extra eight days in 2698 B.C. for a year, then year 2018 is the 4716th Chinese year.

2018 is the 4715th Chinese Year. However, Chinese civilization is up to 8000 years. The Dadiwan relics show the civilization of houses, palaces, cooking tools, color pottery, weapons, artifacts and agriculture. 

China is a country with great and ancients history, let us get together to meet of 2018 the New Year coming!