To a Marxist, time is linear. The logic of dialectical materialism means that societies are driven inexorably through a series of class conflicts to the final showdown between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, and ultimately to the victory of the former. It is a natural law that can be expedited by human effort, but cannot be overcome.
To the average Chinese person, time is cyclical. The zodiac spins; dynasties rise and fall; the only constant is the greatness of the Chinese nation. Today, China is rising; a hundred years from now, it may be falling, but Chinese culture will endure no matter what.
What does this mean? The two concepts cannot be reconciled. The Chinese Communist Party thinks that it has the right to rule forever by virtue of its successes and its unique understanding of natural law, but the Chinese people believe, consciously or not, that the CCP will wind up on the ash heap of history with the Han and the Ming and all of the other dead dynasties. Neither astrology nor dialectical materialism has any basis in reality, but the view of the Chinese people is more grounded in history and human nature, so it will prevail in the very long run.