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This week marks the final day the celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon, a lunar calendar event that occurs once every 12 years. Dragon years have deep psychological resonance for the Chinese, as the dragon symbolizes transformation. But the trajectory of that transformation is not always for the better: the dragon has two faces, and it's never clear which side will be revealed

During the last Dragon year, 2000, China saw tremendous economic growth and prosperity. But in perhaps the worst Dragon year in modern Chinese history, 1976, an earthquake demolished the city of Tangshan, killing and injuring nearly a million people. On the other hand, in that same year Mao Zedong, China's long-time dictator, died, ushering in a new era for China. The...