In traditional Chinese culture, the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu are called the Four Elephants, which represent the four directions of east, west, south and north respectively. Among the four elephants, the white tiger is the god of the West. Yun of the Immortal Dao Department: "The God of the West is the Twenty-Eight Houses of the Seven Houses of the West, Kui, Lou, Stomach, Pleiades, Bi, Qian, and Ginseng, which form a tiger statue, located in the West, and is white, so it is called the White Tiger."
White Tiger Mogao Caves Cave 431 Northern Wei
In the top of cave 431 of Mogao Caves, a white tiger is depicted, which is the first time that a tiger appears in dunhuang murals as one of the four gods. The images of the white tiger, green dragon, suzaku and other figures in the picture are skillfully combined with the surrounding plant patterns, which enrich the content of the murals while also having decorative effects, reflecting the painter's rich imagination and exaggerated artistic processing skills.
Flapping White Tiger Mogao Cave Cave 249 West Wei
The top of cave 249 of Mogao Caves is also painted with a white tiger. It opened its mouth, raised its wings, galloped in the air, and together with Suzaku, Xuanwu, and Qinglong, it rushed and jumped in the cave to guard the four directions. In the new year, I wish you a great deal in your career.
Text: Wang Fangfang, Yang Geng
Academic support: Guo Junye