Why Do Chinese Have 12 Zodiac Animals?
The Chinese zodiac signs refer to the twelve animals that match the twelve earthly branches. They originated from animal worship in ancient times. According to the Qin dynasty bamboo slips excavated in Yunmeng Shuihudi of Hubei and Fangmatan of Gansu, a relatively complete zodiac system existed in pre-Qin ages (earlier to 221B.C). However, the oldest record identical to the modern 12 zodiac signs is from the book Lun Heng by Wang Chong from the Eastern Han dynasty. How did Chinese zodiac signs come into being? Origin of Chinese Zodiacs There is no unanimous conclusion regarding how were Chinese zodiacs come into being, but there are some theories for reference. Chinese Zodiac Was Introduced By Xiongnu The history chronicles reveal that the Chinese zodiac was developed at least in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In old China, there were multiple ways to count years, but the best recognized chronological method was using the heavenly stems and earthly branches, which involve twelve earthly...