The "Twelve Animal Stones" were originally named "Wushan Twelve Peaks." The old records say: "There are twelve beautiful stones, rising from the flat ground, delicate and slender, standing apart like mountains, each named after its image, such as the writing brush stand, incense burner, chessboard, elephant's trunk, jade bamboo, turtle's breath, coiling dragon, sword spring, ox's sleep, 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, rooster, dog, and pig—thus they are known as the "Twelve Animal Stones."