A subject that never fails the interest of your Chinese friend is Chinese Zodiac. Knowing some basics can enhance your image greatly, because people will see that you really try to understand the culture.
The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 signs, each representing a year. These are lunar years divided into 12 months of equal time, resulting in Chinese New Year Day falling on different dates in different years. A 13th "leap" year is periodically added to keep the system in balance.
Chinese zodiac signs are all animals. Legend has it that when Buddha convened the animal kingdom to determine how to restore order to the world, only 12 animals showed up. These twelve beasts came to represent the Chinese zodiac cycle, each presiding over one year in the order in which it arrived at the meeting. Events and occurrences in a given year are influenced by the nature of that year's animal. Below are some interesting facts and figures on the Chinese zodiac:
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