Beauty of Beasts

Author: Liang Xiaosheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Tiger culture, as one of the ideologies of ancient society, is rich in content and reflects the aesthetic tastes, values, ethical norms, and highly distinctive national psychological characteristics of the Chinese people. The content of tiger culture in China is also very diverse, with the image of the tiger present in all fields of traditional culture, including literature, language, poetry, sculpture, painting, novels, opera, as well as more broadly in folk tales, myths, children's songs, and other areas. In oracle bone script, the character "" (hu) is a beautifully shaped pictograph of a tiger. In 1987, a pair of shell-carved dragon and tiger figures were unearthed in Xishui, Puyang, Henan Province, dating back approximately 6,000 years. They were found on either side of the remains of an ancestor, aligned according to the cardinal directions, matching the later prevailing belief of "East Azure Dragon, West White Tiger, South Vermilion Bird, and North Black Tortoise," and were hailed as the "Chinese Tiger." Subsequently, from the Shang Dynasty, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States periods, through the Qin and Han dynasties, the motifs and forms of tiger-themed artworks in stone carvings, inscriptions, and stone reliefs, as well as bronze, iron, gold and silver, jade, and porcelain, became even more diverse. For example, in bronze ware, the main motif of the Shang Dynasty's Dragon-Tiger Vessel is "the tiger's mouth holding a person"; the outer rim of the Simuwu Great's ears is adorned with a pair of tiger motifs facing each other, their mouths containing human heads; the bronze adze unearthed from the Fu Hao tomb also features the "tiger claws holding a person" pattern. Notably, a Shang Dynasty piece called the "Tiger Eating a Person Vessel" has three legs formed by the tiger's hind legs and tail, with the front paws clutching a person, its mouth open as if about to devour the person's head—a vivid and striking image. However, this design does not depict a tiger eating a person but rather reflects the ancient Chinese people's reverence for tigers. Throughout Chinese history, there are countless ink paintings, freehand brushwork, lacquer paintings, and other artworks featuring tigers. In folk art works such as New Year prints, clay sculptures, shadow puppets, paper-cutting, and cloth toys, the image of the tiger is often portrayed as a lovable and gentle animal rather than a fierce beast or a symbol of authority. During the Han Dynasty, people would paint tigers on their doors on New Year's Eve to ward off evil spirits. This tradition is based on the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which describes a mountain named Dusu in the vast sea, where a peach tree grows. Its branches and leaves spread over more than 3,000 li. However, on its northeast side lies a gap called the "Ghost Gate," through which ghosts pass. Two deities, Shentao and Yulu, live on the mountain and are responsible for guarding the ghosts. Whenever they encounter mischievous spirits, the two deities tie them with ropes and hand them over to the tiger to eat. Therefore, in authentic door god paintings, in addition to Shentao and Yulu, tigers are also depicted. The Chinese folk belief that "even a tiger will not eat its own cubs" also leads to the practice of embroidering tiger heads or other decorations on children's shoes and hats, called "tiger shoes" and "tiger hats," to bring good luck and ward off evil. The renowned modern Chinese writer Lu Xun once wrote the poem: "A man without compassion may not be a true hero, but a man who loves his children is still a man. Do you know the one who stirs up storms and roars wildly? When it turns its head, it sees a rabbit smaller than itself." Here, "" refers to the cub of a tiger. This also reflects the kind, optimistic, and broad-minded nature of the Chinese people. P51