The Chinese zodiac is a group of 12 animals that correspond to the year of one's birth. The year 2022 is the Year of Tiger.

In Chinese culture, tigers are the kings of animals. Tigers had a large habitat in ancient China, so there are many images of tigers on cultural relics. For example, there are delicate descriptions of tigers on the cliff paintings of the Yinshan Mountains made about 5,000 years ago. A Han dynasty stone portrait also shows a scene of people meeting a tiger on their way out.

Tigers, seen as a fierce beast, stand for strength. In the Han dynasty, there were many pictures of striking, shooting and stabbing tigers, while fighting with tigers was regarded as a symbol of heroes at that time. In ancient wars, heads of tigers were often painted on shields to intimidate enemies. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period saw the appearance of tiger-shaped tally generals for troop movement. In the Yuan dynasty, the tally was changed into a tiger-head-shaped tablet, which eventually evolved into soldier tokens.

Tigers were said to eat ghosts and thus regarded as mascots to ward off evil and pray for good. There are still many tiger-related customs in modern China, including pasting tiger images on doors during the Spring Festival as well as making tiger-head hats, shoes and pillows for newborns.

Tigers are also believed to protect crops and drive away rats. The tiger god was one of the eight gods worshipped at the end of the year in ancient agricultural society. As a star on the west of the sky, white tiger asterism became an important guardian in Chinese traditional culture.

At the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, the Palace Museum selected tiger-related artworks from its collection for an online exhibition to showcase the tiger's significance as a symbol of power, courage and auspiciousness in traditional Chinese culture. We wish you all a happy Year of the Tiger.

Online exhibition address:

https://www.dpm.org.cn/topic/2022tigeryear.html