Culture wars: China shares animal zodiac with neighbours but like pao cai and kimchi, there’s disagreement over who owns what

This year is the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese zodiac. But few people in mainland China know that this chronological method involving a 12-year cycle of animals did not originate in China.

Ancient Babylonians about 4,000 years ago were thought to have created the 12-animal calendar, said Professor Li Shuhui, former director of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences’ linguistic research institute.