Traditional Shanxi craft – the cloth tiger

Large-scale cloth tiger at a recreational center [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Miniature cloth tigers [Photo/art.china.cn]

This particular type of cloth tiger is a local mascot that families or friends like to give to each other and has a long history in Pingyao county, Shanxi province where it's an important part of local folk culture.

Tourists pick cloth tigers at a local workshop in Pingyao [Photo/pyonline.net]

The tiger is considered in Chinese culture to have the ability to drive out evil spirits and protect people from disasters so it representing good luck and happiness.

In recent decades, foreign tourists have developed a new taste for the mascot, which has of course contributed to local prosperity and, it has now even become a new cultural symbol of Shanxi province.