The Chinese zodiac Dragon year in 2000 was associated with the Metal element.
The year 2000 was the 庚辰 (Gengchen) year in the traditional sexagenary cycle. 辰 (Chen) is the earthly branch associated with Dragon, while 庚 (Geng) is a yang heavenly stem linked with Metal. Together, they identify the year as Metal Dragon.
Chinese zodiac years begin at Lunar New Year rather than on January 1. The Metal Dragon year began on February 5, 2000, and ended on January 23, 2001, when the next zodiac year began. Someone born early in January 2000 therefore belonged to the previous sign-year by the traditional calendar.
The five elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. They alternate through the heavenly stems, so Dragon years do not always have the same element. Dragon returns every 12 years, while Metal Dragon returns every 60 years.