White Tiger Wadang
This New Year is the Year of the Tiger. In addition to the imaginary creature of the dragon, the tiger is the only beast in the zodiac.
In the eyes of Chinese, the tiger is brave and fierce, it sits in the mountains and forests, whistles in all directions, and its power and deterrence seem to be able to make all the glamorous rays invisible. For a long time, people's feelings for tigers have been complex, and they are afraid and afraid of them, and they are also revered and respected. In the Zhou Yi Qiangua, it is said: "The cloud is from the dragon, and the wind is from the tiger." "The dragons that travel among the clouds in people's imagination and the tigers that gallop in the mountains and forests have always been regarded by Chinese as symbols of prestige and strength, and they seem to be able to mobilize unlimited natural forces. The difference is that the image of the tiger not only appears in the deep palace, representing the majesty and respect of the imperial power; it is also broadcast in the folk, becoming a folk auspicious pattern that the people of Qianshou are happy to see.
Through cultural relics, let us get a glimpse of how auspicious, brave and powerful this magical animal is in the ancient Chinese cognition. At the moment when the haze of the epidemic is shrouded, people also seem to need the speed and strength of the tiger to break through the predicament, remove the old cloth and the new with the momentum of thunder, and drive away the epidemic and bring prosperity.
Tiger Man-Eater, collection of the Izumiya Museum in Japan
【Riding the Tiger to the Eight Poles: The Divine Tiger in Faith】
The saying "Left Green Dragon, Right White Tiger" is not unfamiliar to people, but in fact this arrangement has appeared more than 6,000 years ago. In 1987, excavations in Xishuipo, Puyang City, Henan Province, unearthed a pair of mussel-shaped dragons and tigers dating back about 6,500 years, located around the owner of the tomb, which seems to be in line with the combination of "left green dragon, right white tiger". In the Han Dynasty, the study of secrecy was widely popular, and people combined the stars and directions with the four imaginary spirit beasts, and gradually built up the "four gods" system of the Eastern Green Dragon, the Southern Suzaku, the Western White Tiger, and the Northern Xuanwu, believing that these four spiritual beasts were the gods who guarded the four directions. The decoration of the four gods has been very popular since then, and it often appears in the tiles and bronze mirrors, and the white tiger is of course also among them. In the White Tiger Tiles of the Han Dynasty, the tiger's body often curved around the central sphere, with four feet on the edge of the arc, and the tail was raised high, appearing vivid and powerful. A lacquer box was excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Hubei Province, and the lid of the box was painted with the patterns of stars, green dragons and white tigers, which proved the close relationship between the "four gods" system and the stars, and was an important material for cultural relics scholars to study the astronomical knowledge of the ancients.
A star map of the lacquer box cover excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, collected by the Hubei Provincial Museum
For a long time, the tiger has not only been the object of fear, but also the totem of people's belief and worship because of its ferocious nature. Tigers play an extremely important role in the beliefs and creation myths of ethnic minorities in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. In the Yi creation epics Mei Ge and The Ancestors of Ah Xi, the source of everything in the world is not Pangu's body, but a fierce tiger. Its four large bones supported the heavens and the earth, and its eyes turned into the sun and the moon, and only then did it have this great world. On many bronzes in the ancient Dian Kingdom (the territory is mainly in the central and eastern part of present-day Yunnan) and the ancient Shu Kingdom (the territory is mainly in the area of present-day Sichuan), it is not difficult to find the traces of tigers; they are often shown as ferocious images of devouring cattle, pigs and even people, giving people a very intimidating and shocking beauty, highlighting the fierceness, mystery and majesty of the artifacts.
Tiger Man-Eater, collection of the Senucci Museum in Paris, France
Hunan has unearthed two very similar "tiger cannibals" ("卣" sound, a kind of wine container), which have been lost overseas; one is in the Izumiya Museum in Japan and the other in the Senucchi Museum in France. These two pieces are mysterious, exquisitely cast and beautifully decorated, making them extremely rare treasures in ancient bronzes. It is shaped as a crouching tiger hugging a human posture, the tiger's hind feet and tail form a three-legged three-legged, and the front paws hold a person, as if trying to open its mouth to eat the human head. The strange thing is that the person's posture and facial expression are extremely calm, not like they are about to die. Some scholars believe that tiger cannibalism means the unity of man and the divine tiger, with a strong sorcery meaning, reflecting how the tiger was worshipped as a divine animal image.
"The tiger drums and the birds return to the car, and the immortals are lined up like hemp." (Li Bai's "Sleepwalking in Heaven and Leaving Farewell") In people's imagination of the Immortal World, there are always tigers. After all, reality is the basis of imagination, as the "strongest beast on the surface of the earth", how can the mighty and fierce tiger not be fantasized and worshiped by the ancients?
Bronze gilded tiger sheep-eating base, Gansu Provincial Museum
【Changxiao Self-Generated Wind: The Tiger of Xiangrui in Folklore】
Perhaps because the White Tiger became one of the "Four Gods", people gradually believed that its appearance represented the peace and prosperity of the world, and was a sign of auspiciousness. In many ancient literature about Xiangrui, its figure can be seen. "Zhongxing Zhengxiang" said: "The White Tiger, the Benevolent Beast." The tiger is white, its body is like snow, it has no stray hair, angry eyes, short ears, four feet and five claws, a long tail, can soar clouds, and whistles are prosperous. "Except for the snow white of the coat, the image of the white tiger seems to be no different from that of an ordinary tiger."
In a wide area, the image of the tiger is widely used by Chinese at different times and occasions as a sacred beast that can drive away evil spirits and disasters. In the Eastern Han Dynasty's "Customs and Customs", it is written: "County officials often decorate peach people with waxing Chinese New Year's Eve, weeping reeds, and painting tigers at the door." It can be seen that using the tiger as a door god to ward off evil spirits and ward off evil spirits is a traditional custom of welcoming spring in ancient times. The "Customs and Customs" also says: "The tiger, the yang, the chief of the hundred beasts, can fight and defeat sharpness, and eat ghosts." "It is the people, especially children, who often wear tiger shoes and tiger hats, and borrow the tiger's might to ward off evil and Na Xiangrui." In addition to hanging a tiger on the door during the Spring Festival, tigers are also widely used in various festival folklore.
A Ming Dynasty fabric in the Forbidden City, "Red Ground Benhu Five Poisonous Makeup Flower Gauze Frame", reflects the activities of the folk Dragon Boat Festival, which also includes the figure of the tiger. The mounting pieces are embroidered with snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos and toads, which are weak and vulnerable under the gaze of a tiger. The tiger stripe is several times larger than the five poisonous patterns, just like the gods under the heavens, and the majesty is awe-inspiring. It is also wrapped around the mugwort leaf, which is in line with the custom of the Dragon Boat People wearing the "detoxification of the AiHu": in ancient times, people would use mugwort or paper, cloth, etc. to cut it into the shape of a tiger, and stick it with the mugwort leaf to wear it, which is believed to be able to get rid of poison and ward off evil spirits. This belief is closely related to the strength and strength of the tiger – as a representative of the "yang", it is believed to be able to disperse the bees, snakes and scorpions that live in the wet and yin, and protect people's living peace.
The Ming Dynasty fabric "Red Ground Benhu Five Poisonous Makeup Flower Gauze Framed Pieces" collected by the Palace Museum
【The Tiger is the King of All Beasts: The Mighty Tiger in the Royal Family】
According to the "Sayings", the tiger is the "king of the mountain beasts", and no animal on the ground is more kingly than the image of the tiger; therefore, in addition to the dragon, the image of the tiger is often used to represent the majesty and solemnity of the imperial power and the royal family.
The "River Diagram covers the earth image" says: "The Holy King is inspired by the period, and there is the morning sound of the white tiger, and the thunder is in the four fields." The "Deed of Aiding God" says: "The king is virtuous to the bird and the beast, and the white tiger moves." The Book of Song and Fu Ruizhi said: "White tiger, the king is not tyrannical, then the white tiger is benevolent, not harmful." From these records, we can see the linkage between the tiger and the king, and the white tiger is like the moral embodiment of the king, and only moves when the king is holy.
In "Yi", it is said: "Adults change tigers, and villains change their faces." "The general idea is that the king's actions are as changeable and violent as a tiger, while the change of the villain lacks its courage and is just a superficial article of hypocrisy and commission.
Zong Yi
The old collection of the South Kaoru Hall of the Forbidden City is the "Seated Statue of Emperor Zongrui of Daming", and the tiger stripe in Zong Yi under the left waist is collected by the National Palace Museum in Taipei
It can be seen that the tiger is also often used as a symbol of the human monarch. This symbolism exists not only in contrast to spirit and temperament, but also externalized in the imperial uniform. The "Twelve Chapters" ornaments often appear in the dresses of ancient emperors, namely: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, worms, mole, yellow, Zong Yi, algae, fire, and powder rice, which represent different meanings, symbolizing the supremacy of imperial power and the perfection of the emperor's morality and cultivation. These twelve kinds of heraldry are said to have been used by successive emperors since the Shun and Yu dynasties, and are important ornaments for dresses worn on important occasions such as sacrifices and great dynasties. Where are the tigers? It is being decorated with "Zong Yi". This ornament resembles a pair of wine glasses, an embroidered tiger, and an embroidered scorpion (Yin Wei, a long-tailed ape, legendary of its sexual filial piety), to represent the mighty and loyal filial piety of the emperor respectively.
Wrong gold inscription Tiger Festival, collection of the Museum of the King of South Vietnam
The Museum of the King of Nanyue contains a bronze tiger festival with a false gold inscription, which is also an example of the tiger as a symbol of power. The so-called Tiger Festival is evidence that the king's messengers can get food and lodging at the station when they are ordered to travel far, so they need to be light and firm, and at the same time reflect the majesty of the king's power. This tiger is in the shape of a tiger, with its head held high and its tail curled up, although small but dazzling, it is awe-inspiring. On the front of the Tiger Festival, there is a wrong gold inscription of 5 words: "The king ordered the car to be driven." "It means that those who hold the Tiger Festival are carrying the king's order to travel far, and this Tiger Festival can be used as a messenger to mobilize the carriage and horse." At this time, the little tiger festival became an extension of power throughout the country.
The image of the tiger in the royal family also has a warm side. The Qianlong Emperor has a Shoushan Stone Tiger Button Seal, the inscription is engraved "Qianlong Royal Pen", and the scene of a female tiger protecting two young tiger cubs under the body is warm and vivid, and it is very pleasant to watch. This is reminiscent of Lu Xun's famous sentence: "Ruthlessness may not be true Haojie, how can pitiful not be a husband?" Those who know whether the wind is roaring or not, when they look back, they look smaller than sustenance. "Yu Suo" is an ancient Chudi nickname for a tiger; even the king of the beasts that roared in the wind and the mighty wind had a gentle moment of pity for the cubs. Is this also a portrayal of the qianlong emperor's state of mind?
Tian Huangshi Huniu "Qianlong Royal Pen" seal, beijing Palace Museum collection
【Wind Leads the Dragon and Tiger Banner: The Fierce Tiger in the Battle】
The white tiger is the god of the West, which is comparable to the "gold" in the five elements, and the main punishment is to kill, so the image of the tiger is often used in objects related to the army and the military.
The "Tiger Symbol", a relic that mobilizes the army, is cast in the shape of a tiger. Su Shi, a scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, once wrote in the poem "SendIng Liu Xiaoshu" about the Song Shenzong dispatching troops to open the border: "The king deliberately cursed the arrogant, and broke the copper mountain to cast a copper tiger." The "copper tiger" here refers to the tiger symbol. Tiger charms were popular in the Spring and Autumn Warring States to the Han Dynasty, generally symmetrically divided into two halves from the middle, the right half was held by the imperial court, and the left half belonged to the generals of the unified army, and when used, it was necessary to check that the two halves of the tiger charms were compatible with each other before they could take effect; and the special symbols were dedicated, and the same tiger rune could not mobilize multiple armies. Today's word "conforms" comes from this. The National Museum of China has a Qin Dynasty Yangling Tiger Symbol, each with the same 12-character inscription on the wrong Golden Seal book on the left and right: "The symbol of the armored soldier, the right is the emperor, the left is in the Yangling." "The shape of the tiger charm is simple and majestic, and it seems to mean that the generals should march and fight like a tiger; however, according to Mr. Wang Guowei's research, it is believed that this tiger symbol is a national symbol that the baby (Qin III) collected the left half of the symbol when he descended to the Han Dynasty, and it is a physical witness to the rise and fall of the Qin Empire, which makes people feel touching.
Yangling Tiger Charm, Collection of the National Museum of China
In the titles related to military affairs, "tigers" are everywhere: the general's camp account is called "tiger tent"; the brave soldier is called "tiger ben" and "tiger soldier"; the list of wuke jinshi is called "tiger list"; the dangerous place where soldiers must fight is "tiger mouth"; and the military aircraft is called "White Tiger Festival Hall"... In front of the tomb of huo Fuyi, a famous Han Dynasty general who fought against the Xiongnu, there is a huge stone statue of Crouching Tiger, which is very clever and extremely vivid, as if it is a heroic portrayal of the young general on the battlefield before his death. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the complements on the official uniforms of officials were often embroidered with different animal images to represent different grades, and the complements of high-ranking military attachés of three or four products would be embroidered with tigers. "Release of the Name and Release of the Soldier": "The bear and the tiger are the flag... The generals built it, like its fierce as a bear and tiger also. It can be seen that the banner of dragons, tigers, bears and other sacred beasts of prey has also existed in ancient times. Zhuge Liang said in the "Heart Book and Military Aircraft": "Will be able to exercise the power of the army, the power of the troops, and the group, such as the fierce tiger, plus the wings, and soar all over the world." "If the king of the mountains and forests adds wings, he seems to be more heavenly and omnipotent, and the phrase "like a tiger adding wings" comes from this. Among the flags of the officers and men of the Qing Dynasty was the Flying Tiger Banner, which was marked by the shape of a flying tiger, taking the courage of the flying tiger and strengthening the might of the army.
The Palace Museum houses a wooden-handled flying tiger axe
Of course, the image of the tiger is not always majestic. A volume of "Searching Mountains" painted by the Song people in the Forbidden City shows the story of Erlang's god Searching the Mountains and descending demons. The picture depicts all kinds of tigers, bears, pigs, monkeys, foxes, goats, roe deer and other beasts turned into demons fleeing for their lives under the search and pursuit of the heavenly soldiers, and a tiger monster in the middle section is standing upright and terrified because of the death of his companion's middle arrow, without the slightest might and ferocity in Su Ri, no wonder scholars interpret it as the embodiment of the people who were oppressed by officers and soldiers at that time. The overlord of weizhenlin valley has become the object of hunting, which is also reminiscent of the current situation of tigers that are endangered and urgently need to be protected under human hunting.
【Sleeping Tiger Head Pillow: Crouching Tiger on a Porcelain Pillow】
Pillows made of porcelain may seem hard and difficult to use in the eyes of today's people, but the ancients believed that porcelain pillows could cool down and think that it was a cool and healthy summer bedding. In the famous sentence of the female lyricist Li Qingzhao, "Festive and heavy yang, jade pillow yarn cabinet, cool in the middle of the night", jade pillow refers to porcelain pillow. The gauze cabinet is a movable summer shelter and anti-mosquito compartment in the ancient bureau room, which is the most comfortable to spend the summer; however, in the Chongyang Festival, the weather has gradually cooled, and the porcelain pillow and the gauze cabinet will inevitably make people feel a chill in early autumn.
One type of porcelain pillow is often shaped like a crouching tiger, which depicts the shape, color and colorful texture of the tiger, which is quite peculiar. The Tang Dynasty poet monk Hanshan has a poem "Sleeping Tiger Head Pillow, Used to Sit on an Ivory Bed", and the tiger-shaped pillow excavated by archaeology has the book Jin Zhenyuan, Dading, Taihe Nian, which shows that such tiger-shaped pillows should have been quite popular in ancient times.
Gold three color white carved tiger pattern peony pattern rectangular pottery pillow, South Vietnam King Museum collection
Why do people use beasts like tigers as decorations for bedding on the bed? Probably the ancients believed that when people lose consciousness and mobility in their sleep, they seem to be the most vulnerable and vulnerable to the invasion of evil spirits; and the tiger is the king of the hundred beasts, which has the effect of eliminating ominousness and suppressing evil and warding off evil. Put the image of the tiger on the pillow and you can rest easy. In the Book of Tang and the Five Elements, it is recorded that "Wei Houmei tasted as a leopard head pillow to ward off evil spirits." The tiger leopard is a symmetrical beast that can be used as evidence of the role of the tiger pillow. The Eastern Jin Dynasty Ge Hong's "Elbow Reserve Emergency Fang" mentions that the treatment of nightmares is "especially good for the tiger's head pillow", and the Southern Dynasty Tao Hongjing's "Notes on the Materia Medica" also mentions that "the tiger's head makes a pillow and dispels disgust." It can be seen that although this party seems unscientific today, it was the consensus of doctors in ancient times.
Tiger attacking the bull bronze pillow, Yunnan Provincial Museum collection
Many of the tiger-shaped pillows we see today are from the folk kilns in Changzhi, Shanxi, Yuzhou, Henan, and Hebi, and their products often have a strong folk style, which is different from the taste and style of official kiln porcelain. The ferocious tiger transforms into a loyal guard lying on the bed, which has to be said to embody the magnificent imagination, superb aesthetic and wisdom of the working people. To this day, many folk craftsmen still sew tiger head pillows from cloth for children to use, praying that children will thrive like tigers.
Author: Bai Weiwen
Editor: Fan Xin
Planner: Fan Xin
Editor-in-Charge: Shao Ling
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.