The Stone of the Twelve Animals, originally named "Wushan Twelve Peaks," was described in old records as: "There are twelve handsome stones, rising from the flat ground, delicate and slender, standing apart like mountains, each named after its shape, such as the Pen Stand, Incense Burner, Chessboard, Elephant Trunk, Jade Bamboo, Tortoise's Breathing, Coiling Dragon, Sword Spring, Oxen's Sleep, Dancing Crane, Singing Phoenix, and Lying Tiger." The people of Hangzhou, seeing these stones resemble the animals of the Chinese zodiac—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig—hence they are known as the "Stone of the Twelve Animals."