A mural from an ancient tomb in China is challenging the traditional belief that 2025 will mark the Year of the Snake. The artwork, which features 12 anthropomorphized animals in ancient bureaucratic attire, suggests that the year may instead be the Year of the Cat.
The mural is on display at the Yuelu Academy, a prestigious institution in Hunan province, China, which was founded during the Song dynasty (960–1279). It is believed to depict the animals of the Chinese zodiac, but in a surprising twist, the painting shows a cat in place of the snake. The order of the zodiac animals also differs from the established 12-year cycle that is widely known today.
This unusual depiction has sparked debate across Chinese social media over the past two weeks. Some users have questioned the legitimacy of the snake’s position in the zodiac, while others have started to embrace the idea of a “Year of the Cat.”
The concept of a cat zodiac sign is not unique to China. In Vietnam, which shares most of its zodiac with China, the cat replaces the rabbit. Most recently, the Vietnamese zodiac celebrated the Year of the Cat in 2023. Additionally, the Vietnamese zodiac features the buffalo in place of the ox, possibly reflecting agricultural practices where the buffalo has historically played a larger role.
Cultural variations influence the zodiac animals, much as they shape the differing celebrations of the moon goddess Chang’e and her jade rabbit across East Asia during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The tomb mural was discovered in 2006 in Weishan, a rural town in Hunan’s Xinhua County, and later transported to Yuelu Academy. It is one of the best-preserved artifacts from the tomb. Unlike royal or noble tombs, which adhered to more rigid societal constraints, this tomb belonged to individuals from a lower social class, allowing for more flexibility in the depictions of the zodiac.
This mural provides valuable insights into ancient material culture, social life, and art history. Although the mural remains undated, it supports the theory that regional and tribal differences in China existed before the 12 zodiac animals became universally accepted.
Xie Yifeng, the head of the history department at Yuelu Academy, suggested that the mural may date back to a time before the Song dynasty, when the cat was celebrated as a zodiac animal in the Weishan region rather than the snake.
According to popular mythology, the cat lost its place in the zodiac due to a race organized by the Jade Emperor, a major figure in Chinese religion. The cat is said to have been tricked by the rat, who crossed the finish line first by riding on the ox’s horn to cross a river. In various versions of the story, the rat either caused the cat to miss the race or deliberately pushed it into the river, securing its own victory.
While much of Chinese mythology has been passed down orally, the cat’s loss in the race is widely accepted in mainstream accounts. However, with this mural as evidence, could it be time to rewrite history? Perhaps, in 2025, the cat is finally ready to claim its moment.
Related Topics
