To help celebrate the Year of the Tiger, Beijing’s Capital Museum is holding a tiger-themed exhibition, showcasing the vast and diverse range of cultural connotations that the tiger has held throughout China’s long history.
In the eyes of ancient people, animals were given rich and deep symbolic meanings beside the biologic properties. Twelve kinds of animals, which have close relationships with human life, became twelve symbolic animals representing the Earthly Branches specially selected by the Chinese traditional culture. These animals became divine beasts entrusted with spiritual sustenance and were closely linked with every Chinese person’s life.
Among them, the tiger, as the king of beasts, was formidable because of its ferocity and might. The tiger is regarded as the symbol of majesty and power. Sometimes it even becomes a totem and appears in military affairs, politics, religion and social life.
The tiger is also esteemed as the guardian because of its power and divinity. The images of tigers become very kind when they act as the guardians of children with a view of daily life instead of power. In the thought of Chinese people, the spirit of tiger is similar to the virtue of man of honor – moderation inside but tenacity outside.
People born in the Year of the Tiger, the third year of the Chinese zodiac cycle, are regarded as brave and strong.
Every year the museum hosts an exhibition based on one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Entitled Tiger in Traditional Chinese Culture, the exhibition features cultural relics dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1134-771 BC) and contemporary artworks such as tiger-themed paper cuttings and Tibetan brass statues.
The exhibition features a wide array of materials and items, including antiques in the shape of a tiger along with descriptions, paintings and artifacts, combining to present a vivid explanation of the tiger’s important role in traditional culture.
In the exhibition, the dragon and tiger mirror shows ancient people believed that the tiger would protect their families from evil.
In addition to the tiger-shaped jade pillow, jade sculptures and a ceramic brush pot with a tiger painted on it from the Qing Dynasty show the strong tiger was still appreciated when agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished in Chinese society.
Tigers are loved and worshiped by Chinese ethnic groups. The exhibition shows the image of the tiger has been embroidered on clothes and accessories as well as shoes.
Tigers are also favored among contemporary Chinese artists, whose traditional Chinese paintings, stone sculptures and animations are also displayed in the show.
The exhibition hall, which is painted in red, is decorated with traditional Chinese gates. Folk musicians and handicraft artists have been invited to perform during the exhibition.
The exhibition also includes a large number of photographs of rare tigers captured in the wild, vividly depicting their habits and daily life and aiming to help raise public awareness on protecting the endangered species.
The exhibition runs from Feb 4 to March 21, from 9 am to 5 pm. Closed on Monday. Free.
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