Background

1998 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. The heavenly stems and earthly branches were the traditional Chinese method for numbering the years. The tiger is the third of the third of the 12 zodiac animals. In popular China, the tiger has always been considered the king of all beasts, a sign of might, strength the households. In Licheng of Shanxi Province, there is a legend about a tiger taming a mountain monster: The mountain monster, manipulating a drove of poisonous snakes, insects and scorpions, did harm to the local residents. When a deity came, he offered elixirs of life to detoxify the locals. Prior to his departure, he presented a "divine gift"-a gold tiger-to the locals. Safety had been guaranteed for the households and people of Licheng ever since. Later, locals began to sew cloth tigers of various descriptions, and children began to wear tiger-head shoes and tiger-head caps. This practice has been passed down to the present and has evolved into a local tradition.

The Year of the Tiger arrives with the spring and vigor of the tiger. The lovely cloth tiger from Licheng is chosen to the zodiac animals series of stamps: It is a work of fold art, vividly shaped, brightly coloured and yet simple and pure, and is full of vigor and vitality.

Top - Back