The secrets of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals

Legend has it that in the very beginning of time, when heaven and earth were just separated from chaos, the Jade Emperor decided to select twelve animals to represent the twelve hours of the day as the zodiac signs for humanity. When the news spread, all kinds of animals were eager to participate, hoping to become one of the zodiac animals, to gain honor, and to be revered by people.

To ensure fair competition, the Jade Emperor set a date for the race and decreed that on that day, whichever animal arrived at the Heavenly Palace first would be ranked first, and so on, until twelve zodiac animals were selected

On the day of the race, many animals set off early. Among them, the ox was the most diligent, starting its journey the night before and always leading the way. The small and clever mouse, however, secretly climbed onto the ox's back, and the ox carried the mouse all the way. When they were nearly reaching the Heavenly Palace, the mouse suddenly jumped off the ox's back and arrived at the Heavenly Palace a step ahead.

Therefore, the mouse was ranked first among the zodiac animals, and the ox had to settle for second place. This is the legend of why the rat is first and the ox is second in the twelve zodiac signs

The tiger, the king of the mountains and forests, is majestic and runs at a very fast speed. The rabbit is known for its agility and quickness. On their way to the Heavenly Palace, the rabbit and the tiger encountered the same river. Relying on its strong body, the tiger struggled to swim across the river.

Although the rabbit couldn't swim, it was clever enough to see some floating logs by the river and jumped onto one, drifting across the river with the current. In the end, the tiger was ranked third, and the rabbit was ranked fourth.

The dragon is a magical creature that can ride on clouds and mist. On the day of the race, the dragon was originally flying freely in the sky, but it saw that the people on the earth were suffering from a drought. Being kind-hearted, the dragon stopped to bring rain to the people. After it finished helping, it continued to fly towards the Heavenly Palace and still managed to catch up with the race.

The snake originally had no feet and crawled by twisting its body. It secretly followed behind the dragon, using the clouds and mist stirred up by the dragon to move quickly as well. In the end, the dragon was ranked fifth, and the snake was ranked sixth.

The horse is an animal that can travel a thousand miles in a day, and it runs at an extremely fast speed. Although the sheep is not as fast as the horse, it has great endurance and walks calmly along the way. On their way to the Heavenly Palace, the horse and the sheep encountered a meadow.

The horse was so focused on reaching the Heavenly Palace quickly that it ignored the meadow. However, the sheep stopped to eat some grass and replenish its energy. In the end, the horse was ranked seventh, and the sheep was ranked eighth.

The monkey is clever and agile, leaping through the trees and quickly covering a long distance. The rooster is a punctual animal, having planned its route before the race.

After the monkey and the rooster met on the road, they decided to travel together. The monkey used its wisdom to help the rooster overcome some difficulties, while the rooster reminded the monkey not to be too playful with its sense of punctuality. In the end, the monkey was ranked ninth, and the rooster was ranked tenth.