Maison

Tiger Tails: Harnessing the Ferocity of the King of Animals in Early- to Middle-period Chinese Art

Date: 19 January 2022 (Wednesday)
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm (HK time)
Venue: Online via Zoom Webinar
Registration: required, free

Originally planned as a hybrid talk, the event had to go online due to the tightened social distancing measures on campus, but we were delighted that over 90 participating individuals, local and abroad, were able to join the occasion. Our speaker Dr. Roslyn Hammers kindly endured the changes and gave a celebratory talk that brought in the felicitous Lunar New Year of the Tiger. Focusing on the representation of the tiger from early days to pre-Ming, she pointed out various roles of the tiger and related feline friends in Chinese painting and other media. The tiger, initially regarded as a fierce and terrifying foe, he or she could also be enlisted to serve as a protective guardian with apotropaic properties in art. The tiger appeared as a symbol emblazoned on paintings, clothing, doorways, tomb walls, and other places, visually lending his power to those who sought it. Her talk took a lighthearted look at the beauty of the tiger while at the same time considered the reconfigurations of its ferocity, a quality that is at the core of the tiger’s power and status as the king of the animals.

This event is co-organised by HKUFAAA and the University’s Department of Art History

Feedback

“Thank you for such an interesting chat. Have a wonderful year of Tiger!”
“Great talk, Roz.”