Cloth tiger (lihouhu)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Buhu (lihouhu)

Applicant: Licheng County, Shanxi Province

Item No.: 871

Project No.: Ⅶ - 95

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Shanxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Licheng County, Shanxi Province

Protection unit: Licheng people's Cultural Center

Introduction to Buhu (lihouhu)

Applicant: Licheng County, Shanxi Province

Lihou tiger is a folk tiger cloth art popular in lihou town and tinghepu township of Licheng County, Shanxi Province. Because Licheng was called "lihou" in ancient times, it was named "lihou tiger". The cultural relics unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Xiguan village, Licheng County show that as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Licheng people worshiped tigers, and tiger shaped utensils played an important role in social life at that time. As a symbol of the belief in worshiping tigers, it is a common phenomenon that people in Licheng use tiger shaped objects or patterns, such as wood carvings, stone carvings and straw paper scissors. Among them, the most abundant form and style, the most prominent regional cultural characteristics and folk art value are the lihou tiger handed down from generation to generation. Li Houhu has a variety of specifications, such as large, medium and small. When it is made, it is first sewn into a tiger shape with dyed cotton cloth, and then decorated with cloth sticking, color drawing and tassel hanging. The lihou tiger, which is shaped by high generalization technique, is vivid, upright and majestic. In an artistic way, it expresses the people's good wishes of supporting the right and eliminating evil, and achieving all the best. Influenced by the traditional culture, lihouhu has strong local flavor and distinct regional characteristics, which not only has high aesthetic value, but also has rich folk connotation, which provides an important reference for the study of folklore and Shanxi local history and culture.