The Great Van

The tiger has always held a special place in China’s mythology. It symbolized good luck and inspired feelings of respect and admiration. Tiger worshippers built shrines for tigers, they were revered, and offerings were made. Great Wang is not only the strongest and most powerful tiger. He is the king of all beasts, the embodiment of the Mountain spirit that rules over nature. For the indigenous people of Manchuria, Great Wang is a sacred animal. Inside his body resides the soul of a deceased person: a king or a prince. In the book “Great Wang,” the life of the ruler of the Manchurian forests is described—from birth to death. Ancient legends of the deep taiga, the beliefs of Manchurian hunters, and observations by a scholar-naturalist are woven together harmoniously…