Chinese and Astrology
Astrology and the zodiac signs were still in possession of the Chinese. Their graph varies from other comparable maps of the period. Their table is split over a 12-year cycle, not 12 months, with animals, the characteristics of that animal being represented each year.
The calendar records years follow in a cycle of sixty. Each year consists of two parts: the celestial stem (one of the five elements) is the first portion, while the terrestrial branch is the second part (which is one of the twelve animals). Another curious thing about the Chinese is that they use sunspots and eclipses to forecast positive or negative omens.
