QingYang gong temple - Chinese zodiac

In the center : the symbol of yin and yang with all around, the 12 Chinese zodiac symbols.
They may have their origin in the Persian astrology and have come into China via India or Tibet.
A funny legend to explain the animals of the Chinese zodiac is that : Buddha or the Jade Emperor, "leader" of the Gods, (it depends...) had summoned the animals to come and see him but only 12 of them came. In gratitude, Buddha or the Jade Emperor, decided to dedicate a year to each of them in the order of their visit : rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig... In this story the rat, cunning, would have benefited from the ox to be transported by it before overtaking it. It would also have misled the cat to be missing... :-)
Rm : in Vietnam cat replaces the rabbit.