Yang and cloth gas, spring run north window. The National Museum's new exhibition "Ruihu You'an - 2022 New Year Exhibition" systematically displays the long-standing and endless tiger culture of the Chinese nation from the aspects of faith and etiquette, history and culture, and artistic life with more than 100 pieces of cultural relics, artworks and works of contemporary artists.
Because of its bravery and mighty posture, the tiger became the worship of the ancient ancestors and the symbol of the tribe. In the tombs excavated in Puyang, Henan, there are tiger-shaped patterns shaped with mussel shells; in the Yinshan rock paintings dating back about 5,000 years, there are a large number of tiger figures. According to the "Chronicle of History", the Yellow Emperor "taught Xiong Qi to fight against emperor Yan in the wilderness of Hanquan".
The ancestors used legends and artifacts as a carrier, leaving many memories of tigers for future generations. The patterns and patterns of the tiger appear in large quantities in the stone, jade and bronze tools of the pre-Qin Dynasty, giving people a mysterious and shocking visual effect. The Shang Dynasty musical instrument Tiger Pattern Stone Chime is carved with a fierce tiger with its mouth open. On the flow pipe of the bronze tiger in the Western Zhou Dynasty, there is a crouching tiger with its eyes wide open, the tiger's mouth wide open, and the tiger's tail rolled up, symbolizing the power and majesty of the ruler with a strong posture. The tiger that can be seen everywhere in ceremonial vessels, rune seals, and ceremonial guards is also a symbol of the army, a synonym for a fierce general, a divine beast representing the stars, and a god who is in charge of the battle.
There are many words with the word "tiger" in Chinese, such as tiger master, tiger general, tiger wei, tiger step, etc., all of which show people's admiration for strong strength and high morale. The changes in the perception of the forces of nature in the spiritual world of the ancestors, as well as the attitude of longing for their own use, are also manifested in these material and spiritual cultural relics.
Clothing and pendants, living utensils and architectural components with tigers as shapes and patterns not only play a practical function, but also have a sense of art and aesthetic value, which not only have the elements of faith and etiquette, but also the decoration of daily life. The Western Han Dynasty's wrong gold and silver tiger is shaped with a hook, and the hook body is designed as a tiger striding forward, which is vivid and vivid. The tiger's body is inlaid with gold and silver pieces of different shapes by a wrong gold and silver process, and the different lusters of the metal are used to express the gorgeous and colorful fur of the tiger. The tiger's tail curls in a hook shape, used to hook the straps, and is cleverly designed to strike a perfect balance between aesthetic and practical.
Wrong gold and silver tiger with hook
The bronze hollow dragon and tiger pattern of the Three Kingdoms period is thrown into the pot, the neck is slender, the abdomen is flat and round, and the belly and the circle foot are decorated with hollow dragon and tiger patterns, which is dignified and exquisitely clear. Throwing pots is derived from the archery ceremony, which is a kind of throwing game popular in ancient mainland China, and it is also a ritual. "Etiquette" Yun: "The pot thrower, the host and the guest swallow drink on the gift of talent." During the Three Kingdoms period, the Wei scribe Handan Chun wrote the "Throwing Pot Fu", describing its pot as "two feet high, with a coiled abdomen and a neck, decorated with gold and silver, and carved with engraving", which is similar in form to the pot on display, which can be confirmed by each other.
White jade beast face pattern cymbal-shaped pendant
In ancient classics and literary works, there are a large number of allusions and cultural interpretations related to tigers. There is "Adult Tiger Change" in "Yi", "Tiger Ben" in "Shang Shu", and "Tiger Eating Tian Feng" and "White Tiger" in "Li Ji", which highlights the unique status of tigers in traditional Chinese culture. The tiger was given a romantic posture and mythological color by the imaginative ancients, not only a beast that symbolized majesty and strength, but also a beast that suppressed evil and eliminated evil. The tiger is the spirit beast under the immortals, "the tiger drums and the birds return to the car, and the immortals are like hemp." The tiger is also the patron saint who can ward off evil spirits, "the tiger, the yang, the chief of a hundred beasts, and the one who can strike the dove and eat the charms.". According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the two gods, Shendi and Yulei, would "bind the evil spirits with reeds, shoot them with peach arcs, and throw tigers to eat them." In the Eastern Han Dynasty Ying Shao's "Customs and Customs", it is said that officials "painted tigers at the door" in the Chinese New Year's Eve,...... Hope to defend the murderer". In literary works, the tiger is also a frequent visitor, both the pride of "the golden iron horse, swallowing the air like a tiger", and the "white tiger shaking the phoenix blowing the sheng, riding the cloud to absorb the essence of the sun". The tiger has also become one of the twelve zodiac signs, representing strong, brave, majestic, energetic and other qualities, and is loved by people.
Folk believe that tigers can ward off evil spirits and ward off disasters and bless Kangning. The image of the tiger appears on the living utensils such as jade pendants and pillows, as well as in children's clothing and on the walls of doors, expressing people's wishes to drive away evil spirits and bless peace. Liang Tao Hongjing of the Southern Dynasty once said in the Commentary on the Materia Medica: "The tiger's head is used as a pillow to ward off disgust." The inscription poem of the Jin Dynasty, the tiger-shaped pillow, is bright and realistic, and a poem is inscribed on the back of the open-eyed tiger: "The daytime camel sutra scroll, the final night pillow tiger waist." No one will be tailed, who dares to pluck the whiskers. "The contrast between the playful tone and the tiger's posture is strong and funny. In these utensils, the tiger's majesty does not diminish, and it increases the sense of peace and closeness.
The tiger has a spiritual nature, can accompany others, exert protective force, and bring about a happy life, this beautiful imagination is in line with the Chinese's goal of pursuing natural harmony and peace and health, and also implicitly reflects the spiritual characteristics of tolerance and goodness in the traditional character of the Chinese nation. To this day, the image of the tiger can still be seen everywhere in the life of Chinese, and people post the tiger gate god during the Spring Festival, so that babies wear tiger head hats, tiger head shoes, and sleeping tiger head pillows, in order to pray for the blessing of evil and the peace of the family home.