Return of the King

By Pan Jiangtao

The year 2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. The tiger is believed to be first evolved from the Tertiary Period. It is a most fierce animal and an outstanding sprinter. Born with such explosive power that the tiger can run as fast as 80 kilometers per hour and instantly kill large herbivores. It excels at jumping and a single leap forward can reach five to seven meters long and up to two meters high. In addition， the tiger has an acute sense of smell as well as a strong， powerful tail， which acts as a defensive weapon and can deal a lethal blow to the targets， too. According to Fengsu Tongyi， or Comprehensive Meaning of Customs and Mores， a book written in the late second century， the tiger is “king of the animals… and can devour ghosts”.

Throughout the ages， therefore， it has been customary to hang tiger paintings in a family’s central hall — or even if there is no central hall， they will be posted on the wall directly opposite the gate， to ward off evil spirits. Items such as tiger-head hats， tiger-head shoes， tiger-head pillows， are often commonplace objects for common people.

Historically， the power and strength of tigers had long been admired， and brave commanders were referred to as “tiger generals”. For instance， the Romance of the Three Kingdoms recorded the “Five Tiger Generals”， which has later developed into a popular appellation referring to any group of five that is particularly outstanding in certain fields. Indeed， even the sons and daughters of these generals were called “tiger sons” and “tiger daughters”， and the authorization for troop movement was called hufu， or tiger tally， usually in two pieces， with one issued to a general which would be matched with the other half.

Roaming the mountains， tigers are mostly nocturnal hunters， more active at night than during the day. On those few occasions when they encounter humans， they will usually turn away. If attacks on humas do occur， it is because the tigers are sick or injured， especially when they have been wounded by human beings， they become much fiercer; or because they are too hungry. Another possibility is that female tigers are trying to protect their cubs.

Standing at the top of the food chain， an adult tiger can eat up to 30 kilograms of meat in one night. For a tiger to survive， therefore， it needs a large group of medium-sized herbivores as preys. However， since the human “ruled” the earth， the original ecological cycle chain has been artificially broken， with humans and the other plants and animals pitted against one another. As a result， tigers seem to have become a “malevolent beast”. In Chinese idioms， there is weihu zuochang （playing the jackal to the tiger）， there is hukou yusheng （escaping from the tiger’s mouth） and there is tanhu sebian （turning pale at the mention of tigers） … On the other hand， positive images of tigers can be widely seen in historical records and literature as well. A Qing dynasty （1616-1911） novel collection， for example， told of the story of a woodman who accidently stumbled into a tiger’s den. He was not only given moose meat， but also carried home by the tiger. When the tiger was captured by a hunter， the woodman was willing to exchange his life for the tiger’s.

In recent decades， China has stepped up its efforts to save tigers and habitats from further encroachment. One of the cases is the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin， capital city of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. Established in 1986， it covers an area of 1.44 million square meters and is the largest natural sanctuary for tiger protection， research， breeding and sightseeing. According to Green China， a Chinese magazine focused on environmental protection， Northeast China is now home to at least 55 wild Siberian tigers and could support up to 300 in the future.

On October 12， 2021， Chinese President Xi Jiping announced the designation of the first group of national parks， including the Sanjiangyuan National Park， the Giant Panda National Park， the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity （COP15）. Home to nearly 30 percent of key wildlife species in China， the parks stretch through 10 provinces and autonomous regions， covering a protected land area of 230，000 square kilometers. Of them， the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park spans the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang， with an area of 14，100 square kilometers.