2022 is the year of Nongyin, which is also the Year of the Tiger in the Lunar Calendar. In the Commentary on the Interpretation of Texts, it is said: "The tiger, the king of the mountain beast." In traditional Chinese culture, the "tiger" is also regarded as a beast, often appearing at the same time as the "dragon". In the idiom, there are sayings such as dragon leaping tiger leap, dragon fighting tiger fighting, Crouching tiger, hidden dragon, living dragon and living tiger, etc., which is enough to see the status of "tiger" in people's hearts.
Among the archaeological discoveries on the mainland, the earliest "tiger" image appeared in the Yangshao culture about 6400 years ago. In 1987, in a burial chamber excavated at the Site of Xishuipo in Puyang, Henan Province, the left and right sides of the skeleton of the tomb owner were placed with dragon and tiger motifs made of mussel shells, both of which had their eyes wide open and their mouths open, as if protecting the owner of the tomb.
With the change of dynasties, the image of the "tiger" has gradually extended from the original beast to a spiritual connotation with political, religious, cultural and other aspects.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the "Bronze Tiger Charm" was used as a "keepsake" for ancient generals or local governors to dispatch troops. The tiger charm is divided into two halves, half of which is stored in the imperial court and half of which is preserved by itself, with an inscription engraved on the back. Only when the two halves are transferred can they take effect. Many later dynasties have used the "tiger symbol" as a symbol of military power.
Different from the nature of the military tiger symbol, the "Wrong Gold Inscription Tiger Festival" excavated from the tomb of the King of Han Nanyue in Xianggang, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, is mainly used for post transmission, envoys, and small-scale troop transfer. The shape of this tiger festival is a flattened tiger, cast from bronze, and the surface is evenly distributed with willow-leaf-like gold pieces, forming a colorful tiger skin shape, and the exquisite ornamentation also shows the magnificence and power.
Both the Tiger Symbol and the Tiger Festival reinforce the "Tiger" as a symbol of strength and power. In ancient secular life, the "tiger" element also entered people's lives in terms of cultural relics and artworks, eating utensils, clothing accessories, etc.
The "Western Zhou Tiger Basket" is a vessel used by ancient people to hold meals, and it is also one of the iconic bronzes of the Bronze Age. The "Western Zhou Tiger" that flowed into foreign countries, the tiger's hind feet and tail formed a three-legged three-legged, and the tiger's front paws held a person, showing the trend of "tiger cannibalism", which was used to hold wine during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. The cultural relics collected by the Henan Museum "Qingyu Tiger-shaped Pendant" are cultural relics of the Spring and Autumn Period, with a flat body, a tiger-shaped low head with a bowed back, a curved limbs and a curly tail, and closed round holes at the end and tail that can be worn and worn.
At the beginning of the new year, the "Tiggo You'an - 2022 New Year Exhibition" held by the National Museum unveiled hundreds of sets of classic "tiger cultural relics", including bronze "tiger hammers" for sacrifices, western Han Dynasty gold and silver tiger shaped hooks, and gold and silver glazed black color inscriptions of the Golden Dynasty. The "Tiger Blessing Shenzhou" exhibition of the Chongqing Three Gorges Museum's New Year Cultural Series Exhibition was launched, and 150 pieces (sets) of cultural relics related to the "tiger" were held, including bronzes, pottery, calligraphy and paintings, rubbings, New Year paintings, tiger head shoes, tiger head hats and other clothing accessories to meet the public.
The exquisitely shaped and unique "tiger" cultural relics have important historical, artistic and cultural values, bringing people visual aesthetic enjoyment and cultural influence. In order to allow the public to not only feel the "tiger" culture in the "tiger" cultural relics, but also to bring the "tiger" home, many museums have taken the "tiger" cultural relics as the prototype and launched the "tiger" cultural creation to create a strong "tiger" flavor for the "tiger" year.
During the Spring Festival, the Wuwei City Museum of Gansu Province specially launched a cultural and creative "tiger head hat", the front is sewn with green, green and orange fabric, tiger eyebrows, tiger eyes, tiger nose, tiger mouth, tiger whiskers are embroidered with gold thread, the upturned tiger tail design, playful and cute; the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum draws on the pattern elements of the cultural relics "Tiger Pattern Gold Medal" in the collection, and hand-made the tiger rune cowhide craft coaster with the printing and ironing process; the Shanghai Museum launches the tiger canvas bag, which is inspired by the golden generation Cizhou kiln yellow color tiger shaped porcelain pillow of the Jin Dynasty Cizhou kiln The "Little Bird Tiger" cultural and creative ice cream of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum also came to "join in the fun", and the prototype of this cultural and creative ice cream is the cultural relics of the museum "Shang Dynasty Fu Bird Double-tailed Bronze Tiger"...
In fact, whether it is to appreciate the "tiger" cultural relics or buy the "tiger" cultural creation, it contains people's expectations and blessings for the New Year. In this process, the folk customs and culture of the year have been enriched and colorful, and the traditional culture has been rejuvenated with new vitality and vitality.
(This article is reprinted from workers' daily, reporter: Tao Wen; picture from the National Museum, photo: Yu Guanchen)
【Exhibition Information】
Exhibition poster (design | Guo Qing)
Exhibition: Tiggo You'an - 2022 Chinese New Year Exhibition
Venue: National Museum North Hall 1
Duration: Officially exhibited to the public from January 19, 222, under display