Because the Chinese New Year starts in late January or early February , the Chinese year begins several weeks after the it begins in the Gregorian calendar . If a person is born in early January , their Chinese birth-year is the last Gregorian year , not the current one . As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February , the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year .