
The "Twelve Animal Stones" were originally named "Wushan Twelve Peaks." The old records say: "There are twelve exquisite stones, rising from the flat ground, delicate and slender, standing apart like peaks, each named after its image, such as the Pen Rack, Incense Burner, Chessboard, Elephant Trunk, Jade Bamboo, Tortoise Breathing, Coiling Dragon, Sword Spring, Ox's Resting, Dancing Crane, Singing Phoenix, and Crouching Tiger." The people of Hangzhou, because these stones resemble the animals of the twelve zodiac signs—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, and pig—thus, they are known as the "Twelve Animal Stones."































