Chinese astrology existed ever since the Qin dynasty when astrologists would gaze and analyze the skies for omens in order to predict what would happen to the country.  Now people from all over the world are interested in the Chinese zodiac and have checked what their Chinese horoscopes would be, just as they would with the Western horoscopes.  The zodiac is a twelve year cycle and each year is named after the twelve animals, the dog, rabbit, horse, ox, rat, monkey, rooster, boar, dragon, tiger, sheep, and snake.  A person's destiny and fortune can be based through the position of the planets depending on the day he or she was born.  Chinese astrology is still being done even in modern Chinese society even to the point of scheduling the births of their children in order for them to be born under a certain zodiac. 

In Chinese astrology, a person's traits, character, success and happiness can be determined through his or her zodiac.  There is more to a person's horoscope than the animal of his year.  Chinese horoscopes also base its predictions on the five elements depending on which planet the person was born under.  Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood and Water correspond to the planets Saturn, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury.  These make up Yin and Yang and determine the characteristics of the twelve animal signs.  For example, a person who is a Tiger (its fixed element is Wood), he or she is unpredictable, rebellious, powerful, passionate, daring, and impulsive.  But Chinese astrology, aside from basing the zodiacs on the person's birth year, also determines the characteristics and traits of a person through the months (inner animals) and the hours (secret animals).   Though a person is a Tiger because he or she is born in the year of the Tiger, he or she could be a sheep internally and an ox secretively.  There are many other factors that affect the person's zodiac, such as which trine or groups of three do the animals belong to depending on their similarity in characteristics. 

Chinese horoscopes are ways in which people assess you as a person or how you asses yourself and your personality.  Through this, you'll be able to determine what will happen to your happiness, successes, and fortune in the future.  Even in the present society Chinese astrology is still being looked into.  The Beijing Olympics were thought to be a way to celebrate the year 2008 as a lucky year for China, but were astounded when all sorts of calamities happened before the Olympics' opening last August 8, 2008. 

Other countries have also consulted Chinese horoscopes in determining what is to happen on a certain day.  Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Thai zodiacs all base theirs from the Chinese with minor differences such as the names/labels of their animals and the replacement with different animals.  The influence of the Chinese to many cultures around the world is so great that even Chinese horoscopes are being consulted and Chinese astrology is still depended on in Chinese communities around the world.