Cats and Dogs
I’m a cat person. Calicos and tabbies, a polydactyl Russian blue, a pair of Siamese, a not-too-bright long-haired white, I’ve had them all. And though I’ve owned a few dogs, including a regal Saluki and a pair of adorable beagles, I like cats better. I like their purr and the limber, drapey way they feel when I pick them up. I like their independence and self-sufficiency. Most of all, I like their grace and beauty.
It’s the same thing I love about tigers.
The Pinnacle of Chinese Brush Painting
Years ago I studied Chinese brush painting. My professor, who was decidedly old-school, required us to master flowers, trees and the lesser animals before we tried our hand at tigers. We started with plum blossoms, and when we’d mastered them using both free-style and detailed techniques, we moved on to bamboo, orchids, chrysanthemums and peonies. Then we painted pine trees, fish, crabs, birds, roosters and horses. Years went by. We had class twice a week and practiced at home. Finally some of us were ready to paint a tiger.
The tiger painting that was “lost” by the gallery
I made two tiger paintings. The first was stolen from a gallery in downtown Seattle. The second, which I still have, was inspired by my husband’s stories of his childhood in Amoy.
It was wartime, he told me, and everyone was hungry. People climbed the mountains to hunt for wild game, and when the wild pigs and hog deer and even the porcupines and peafowl were gone, the tigers ventured into the lowlands. A pair of them even swam across to Amoy where they killed a farmer’s wife.
The next night sharpshooters from the occupation force were waiting. They shot the female the first night; the male, the next. The tigers’ bodies made a fine meal for the Japanese officers and men. But there were leftovers. My husband’s maid scurried to the site before dawn and lined up with other starving, malnourished Chinese. The chunk of tail she brought home became a soup.
Today my painting of the ill-fated tigers leaping into the surf hangs in my dining room.
Mao’s Anti-Pest Campaign
photo courtesy of jinterwas
Despite the hardships of war, more than 4000 tigers still roamed the mountains and hills of China during the early 1950s. Then, as part of the Great Leap Forward, Mao targeted them as part of his anti-pest campaign.
As a result of that and other factors, the Amoy tiger, the evolutionary ancestor of all tigers, is now thought to be extinct in the wild.
A sad end for a beautiful and noble beast that has long been the Chinese symbol of power and lordliness.
The Year of the Tiger
photo courtesy of garryknight
My late husband was born in the Year of the Tiger, which means, according to the Chinese horoscope, that he was courageous—fierce and commanding on the outside, noble and discerning on the inside.
Each animal in the twelve year cycle has its strengths. Monkeys are quick-witted, oxen are patient, sheep gentle, and dogs faithful. But no animal in the Chinese zodiac can compare to the tiger.
You too may be a tiger if you were born in 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010.
Next week: Chinese brush painting
I like that drawing of the tiger too! I think it was pretty well done. To some people, Mao may be more like 70% bad and 30% good. Still, China consider him to be more popular than Deng Xiao Peng. According to Martin Jacques, that is apparently because the Chinese consider him as the man who restored the Han dignity. And I think Martin may just be spot on here.
To ordinary malaysian: I’m so glad you visited my blog. The topic next week is Chinese brush painting, which I touched on briefly this week. I hope you’ll return to take a look.
I’m not familiar with Martin Jacques, and I don’t really know what the Chinese people think of Mao now. I’m sure Han dignity has been important after the shame of the colonial period and the Japanese invasion. Personally, though, I would find it hard to forget the tens of millions who died as a result of Mao’s Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
p/s: Love your painting, Nicki! You’re really talented and patient. I did an afternoon’s ‘painting’ of a few bamboo sticks with a Chinese artist, and that was my achievement — a few bamboo sticks. However, the experience was like an afternoon’s meditation.
You’re right, Janet. Chinese brush painting does require patience. The tiger took a long time because, according to Prof. Chen, I needed to put little hairs all over his body. (This photo is too blurred to see the hairs.) But something like bamboo and free-style horses requires even more patience because you end up throwing so many paintings away until you get it right.
Hi Nicki,
We talked about Chairman Mao’s poem. Today I came across this fascinating information: The famous 92nd Street Y’s Poetry Center invited Chairman Mao to read his poems aloud, but he didn’t go. The invitation letter has recently been unearthed.
Janet, you come across some interesting things. I hadn’t even heard of New York’s 92nd Street Poetry Center. I guess I should have since it’s such a famous place for writers to read from their work.
Chairman Mao killed South China Tigers and also pests: Four Pests Campaign. Chairman Mao was also regarded as a great poet. He employed the images of many animals, such as eagle, yellow crane, elephant, tiger, leopard, dragon…and a very famous poem was that he teased Genghis Khan as
“Proud Son of Heaven for a day,
Knew only shooting eagles, bow outstretched.”
You can see some of Chairman Mao’s poems in Mao Zedong – Poems: 1925-1965 , courtesy of Open Source Socialist Publishing.
Thank you, Janet. It’s interesting that you mention the good side of Chairman Mao on the same day when I read a post by Lloyd Lofthouse on “China’s Tragedy Museum.” Lofthouse writes that the Communist Party line is that Mao is 70% good, 30% bad. We may not agree on the percentages, but at least the Chinese have set up a museum that focuses on the atrocities of the Cultural Revolution. Interesting, huh?
Janet, I’ve only glanced through the poem on you link, but so far I like “The Double Ninth.”
I fell in love with Chairman Mao’s many poems and I even keep some English translation of his poems. Many Chinese people could recite a few of his famous poems. His poems carry powerful imageries and my favourite is Snow. He was a man of self-assurances and this was clearly reflected in his poems. Thank you for sharing with me the news about the museum. It’s fascinating to know. China is changing faster than we could imagine.
Thanks Nicki! I’m a dog person with a 7-year old golden retriever. Our 1-year old cat Sophie is growing on me though. She is fearless! I love your paintings and it’s so nice to see the photo of you. Jeffrey Martin
Jeffrey, thanks for visiting my blog. And thanks for your careful, well-informed investment advice.
I admit, dogs are nice too, especially golden retrievers.
It’s such a shame that South China Tiger is now almost extinct. It has been a HUGE inspiration in Chinese culture.
Have you heard about the “Lion vs Tiger” thing in Chinese culture?
Tiger represents “original” Chinese culture, while Lion is a “Western” influence.
Primordial Chinese deities are usually shown with tigers while Lions are more often seen with Buddhist deities. (Buddhism is from Nepal/ India, which are “west” of China). 😀
By the way, the Tiger painting in the photo is sooo beautiful!
There is bad news and good news about the South China tiger.
The bad news is that tigers are being farmed for their skins and body parts, their bones ground down to make tonic wines. It’s a cruel business.
The good news relates to a rewilding project in South Africa, a last-ditch effort to save the South China tiger. The reserve is called Laohu Valley (Tiger Valley).
Tonic wine made of tiger bones? They still make such ancient medicine? I thought it was banned during the culture revolution!
I just assumed that the tiger was more Chinese than the lion. Thank you, Hari, for explaining why.
I will be looking for more in that picture from now on and enjoy it with admiration as with all your works. They all have life and seem to speak for you! I am in Awe!
I wish I could take a good photo of that painting, so I could share it. But it’s behind glass, and all it get is reflections. Thank you, Dorie, for your kind words.
I’ve often admired that tiger painting on your dining room wall. The backstory makes this lovely piece of art come alive in a whole new way!
Thanks, Gretchen. I’m glad I kept that painting.