The Rat is the first of the Chinese Zodiac signs. Why? Well, the Rat tricked the Ox during the Jade Emperor’s “Great Race,” and jumped on his back, leaping off at the finish line to place first.

The Rat jumped ahead of the Ox before the finish line to win the race and was appointed the first animal sign in the zodiac by the legendary Jade Emperor, the supreme ruler of Heaven in Taoism ...

Many years ago, the Jade Emperor of China held a race across a great river to decide the order of the years of the zodiac. Twelve daring animals compete to take first place. Show more Many years ...

There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac – rat, ox ... it was because of the Jade Emperor, also known as the ruler of heaven, who wanted to create a way to measure time.

there is a story attached to the types of animals and the order they appear in the Chinese Zodiac. The Jade Emperor (玉皇 - Yù Huáng), according to Chinese myth, governs all of heaven and earth. He was ...

In this retelling of the Jade Emperor and the Great Race — a fable that sets the order of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac calendar — the animals learn to put aside fierce competition to instead ...

There are many variations of this story. Some say that the Jade Emperor called a race of animals on his birthday to create the Chinese zodiac. Others say that it was the Buddha who did.