Well, let me tell you about this Chinese zodiac art thing. It’s all about them animals, you know? Like, the rat, the ox, the tiger… all twelve of ’em. My old man used to say somethin’ ’bout it, but I never paid much mind ’til now.
So, they got this whole system, see? Years and years of it. Like, the rat year, that was 1912, 1924, 1936… shoot, I can’t remember all them numbers. But you get the picture. Every twelve years, it comes back around to the same animal.

- Rat
- Ox
- Tiger
- Rabbit
- Dragon
- Snake
- Horse
- Goat
- Monkey
- Rooster
- Dog
- Pig
Each one of these critters, they got their own way about ’em. Different as night and day, they are. Some folks say it matters what year you’re born in. Me? I dunno. But it makes for some pretty pictures, I gotta say.
Now, they got this fella, Ai Weiwei, he made this big ol’ statue thing. He calls it the Zodiac Project. It’s got all them animal heads, big as you please. Reminds me of that old palace in Beijing, the one they call the Summer Palace. Heard it got all messed up a long time ago, but these statues, they’re somethin’ else.
And then there’s the art part. Folks paintin’ pictures, makin’ statues, all sorts of things. They say the zodiac signs, they make you creative. Like, if you’re a Pisces, you’re all about feelings. A Gemini, you can do all sorts of things. Leos, they’re loud and proud, you know? Libras, they want things to look nice. Sagittarius folks, they like lookin’ at things from different places. And Aquarians, they want to make a point with their art. Sounds like a whole lotta hogwash to me, but hey, who am I to judge?
Take that ox, for example. That fella represents hard work, they say. Honest, too, but stubborn as a mule. If you’re born in the year of the ox, I guess that’s supposed to be you. Now, my neighbor’s boy, he’s stubborn alright, but I ain’t askin’ him what year he was born in. Mind your own business, that’s what I say.
And the dragon? Don’t even get me started. They got all sorts of stories about them dragons. Powerful creatures, they are. But I ain’t never seen one, so I can’t tell you much about it. They say it’s in the zodiac, though, so it must be important.
Anyways, this Chinese zodiac art thing, it’s more complicated than I thought. But it’s kinda interestin’, too. All them animals, all them years, all them stories. Makes you think, don’t it? Or maybe it just makes you look at a pretty picture. Either way, it’s somethin’ to talk about, I guess.

So, next time you see a picture of a rat or a dragon or a pig, you think about this Chinese zodiac stuff. Maybe you’ll learn somethin’. Maybe you won’t. But at least you’ll know a little bit more than you did before. And that’s never a bad thing, right?
And don’t go spendin’ all your money on this art stuff, neither. There’s more important things in life than a bunch of fancy pictures, let me tell you. Like puttin’ food on the table and keepin’ a roof over your head. That’s the real art of livin’, if you ask me.
But if you got some extra cash and want somethin’ pretty to look at, well, I guess there’s worse things you could spend it on. Just don’t come cryin’ to me when you’re broke.
Tags: [Chinese Zodiac, Art, Animals, Ai Weiwei, Zodiac Project, Culture, Tradition, Symbolism, Creativity]