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The Year of the Tiger says that the second part of the tiger: the history of the cultural development of the tiger
In the last issue of "The Cultural Image of the Tiger", we analyzed the connotation of the cultural image of the tiger. This image has gradually formed, enriched and perfected along with the development of Chinese civilization, and has generally experienced four stages: "fearing tigers", "advocating tigers", "fighting tigers" and "loving tigers".
The first is to fear the tiger. Our contact with tigers has a very long history, and fossilized tiger bones have been found in the 150,000-year-old "Peking Ape Man" and the 18,000-year-old "Mountaintop Cave Man" site. In the Neolithic DaxiFenggou petroglyphs, Qinghai petroglyphs, Mai Rujing petroglyphs, Helankou petroglyphs and other petroglyphs of ancient ancestors, the image of the tiger appeared. Most of the tigers depicted in these petroglyphs are large and majestic, fangs-piercing, majestic and fierce. Many bronzes of the Shang Zhou Dynasty also have "tiger cannibalism" ornaments, the most famous of which is the "tiger eating man", which is depicted in detail to shock the viewer. It is conceivable that at the level of productivity in ancient times, there will be many incidents of tiger casualties. Therefore, in the early understanding of humans, the main emotion for tigers was still fear.
The second is Chonghu. When human society gradually transitioned from the early age of obscurantism to the Bronze Age. The understanding of tigers has gradually changed from fear in the past to reverence. This reverence stems from the natural mood of "fear of the tiger" and the pursuit of the natural attributes of the tiger's might. For example, some tribes and peoples see tigers as totems, ancestors, or protectors to show the bravery and fearlessness of their own tribes and peoples; others transform tigers into brave, powerful abstract concepts or religious symbols, using tigers to intimidate enemies or cast demons to pray for blessings. Many of the folk customs that are still popular now, such as children wearing tiger head shoes and tiger head hats, sticking tiger heads on the New Year's door, and tiger sacrifice activities of ethnic minorities, are all specific manifestations of tiger worship culture.
The third is to fight tigers. With the development of productive forces, the ability of human beings to struggle with nature is getting stronger and stronger, and the emotions towards tigers are also from the fear brought about by the initial "irresistible", and later the reverence brought by "unknowable", and slowly develop into the conquest of tigers, so fighting tigers has become a feat, and tiger fighters are called heroes. The Zilu fighting tiger recorded in the Analects of Shu'er became the earliest recorded story of fighting tigers, and the stories of Li Guang shooting tigers and Wu Song fighting tigers are even more familiar and well known to women and children. Qianlong's poem "Shooting the Tiger" says: "I laughed at Yu Lin's excessive preparation, but when it started, I killed first." It can be seen that the emperor is also proud of fighting tigers and can't help but praise himself. Tigers, as a beast of prey, have been regarded as pests throughout their long history, and this understanding continued until the 1980s. Chen Qifang, a native of Qiyang, Hunan Province, killed 138 tigers and leopards in the seven years from 1952 to 1958 alone, and was awarded the title of "Hero of Fighting Tigers".
The fourth is to love tigers. The understanding of tiger "pests" for thousands of years stems mainly from the relatively low level of productivity, and human beings need to compete with tigers for living space and natural resources. However, along with the development of productive forces, human beings have won a complete victory in the struggle against tigers, and they have a deeper and more scientific understanding of tigers. On March 1, 1989, the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China was officially implemented, and tiger culture had a new connotation - love for tigers. More and more people are aware of the importance of protecting tigers for the natural environment and biodiversity, and more and more wild tiger tracks have been discovered, recorded and disseminated, which shows that our protection of tigers is effective.
Tiger culture has different connotations in different periods, and the development of tiger culture in the new era has also entered a new stage. On the occasion of the upcoming Year of the Tiger, we wish that tigers and humans can coexist in better harmony and continue to open up a new chapter in tiger culture on the land of Shenzhou.
Author Lu Qingyuan