With the Chinese New Year coming, let's welcome the Year of the Tiger. Do you know anyone born in the Year of the Tiger? What are they like? Are they brave, strong and tenacious (顽强的)？If so, then they are a typical "tiger".
In Chinese culture, tigers are considered the king of all animals. They stand for power, energy, protection, generosity(大度的) and unpredictability (难以捉摸). Tigers are regarded as fearless creatures, so that's why in China you can see images of tiger on the walls of temples and houses toward off disasters and danger.
Tigers have an important cultural meaning not just in China, but across Asia. For example, strong economies in the East-Singapore, South Korea, China's Hong Kong and Taiwan - were called "The Four Asian Tigers". In the book Life of Pi, the writer Yann Martel chose a Bengal tiger as the partner for Indian boy Pi.
Instead of tigers, lions are considered as the king of all animals in the West. Brave warriors(勇士）were given the name "the lion". In Europe, the animal is a national symbol for England as well as for Norway, Spain, Belgium and 13 other countries.
But in the West, tigers are also seen as a very powerful animal. In English, if you want someone to calm down, you can say to them, "easy tiger". Another famous phrase is: "Eye of the Tiger", which means fierceness (凶恶）and strength.
Tigers are also one of my favorite animals. I first learned about the beauty of tigers as a child, while watching animal documentaries(纪录片）. If you ask my mom, she'll tell you that my most precious toy while growing up was my toy tiger. As a young animal lover, I felt so sad that they were an endangered species（濒临绝种） and I wanted to help protect them.
Just like tigers serve as a symbol of protection in Chinese culture, we can only hope that in the Year of the Tiger more people can learn about tigers and help protect them.
