Tiger Stories for the Tiger Year
虎年虎故事
Gisela Jia and CCBG teachers
Among the twelve zodiac animals, tiger comes as the third. As the Year of Tiger is approaching, CCBG teachers searched and filtered through a large number of tiger stories (not just the stories but the different renditions).
I then researched some background of the stories. Here are a few highly selective recommendations, with links to videos of other producers (thus we don't have control of their online presence).
1. Tigers Making Trouble in Kaifeng 《老虎鬧開封》
Source: Chinese folk tale 民間故事
Recommendation reason_Culture: tigers being helpful to humans; the idea of sworn brothers (tiger and the main character); children taking care of elderly parents; battling corruption and evil; phoenix as a noble animal; Kaifeng as an ancient capital
Recommendation reason_Language: high quality expressions; high quality pronunciation; can be comprehended (at least partially) with the visual aid;
Caveat: end of story message shows reciprocal moral teaching ("you scratch my back I scratch your back") which doesn't need to be there or weakens the story
Media: animated story; in Mandarin (no subtitle); 5 minutes long;
Link: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV13h411C7SE/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.0
OR click on the line below
Tigers Making Trouble in Kaifeng 《老虎鬧開封》視頻
2. The Tangerine Tiger 《橘子老虎》
Source: Chinese children's bed time story
Recommendation reason_Culture: tigers being helpful to other animals; in search of one's own unique value and contribution to the world (universal theme)
Recommendation reason_Language: friendly language but sophisticated vocabulary; to hone in on the meaning of Ju zi 橘子, which is "tangerine" not "orange"!
Media: animated story; in Mandarin (no subtitle); 13 minutes long;
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNHTJB5AIok
or click on the line below
3. Great Aunt Tiger 《虎姑婆》
Source: Chinese folk tale (originating from early Qing dynasty recorded by Shanghainese scholar Huang Zhijuan 1668-1748)
Recommendation reason_Culture: Chinese classic childhood bedtime horror tale; Chinese style Little Red Riding Hood or Hansen and Gretel; story originated when Chinese population exploded and tigers lost their natural habitats thus "invaded" human habitats (but we know tigers lost at the end)
Recommendation reason_Language: high quality language;
Caveat: certain details (tiger chewing on human fingers) or visuals (the last minute) can be scary to some children; adults watch first and decide
Media: animated story; in Mandarin (with English subtitle); 14 minutes long
Link to story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7DvZjy6ba8
or click on the line below
Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-gk5pO1g-I
or click the line below
Ambivalent Mentioning -
Wu Song Kills the Tiger 《武松打虎》
Source: story from the Chinese classic Outlaws of the Marsh 《水滸傳》
Recommendation reason_Culture: known by almost every Chinese; might be an introductory story to the Chinese classic which is culturally rich
Caveat: story smacks of animal cruelty and human superiority, difficult for modern children to witness (based on our teaching experiences)
Best wishes for the Year of Tiger! 虎年大吉！
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