EALC2162(Spring2015)StudentName:________________

TwelveMedievalChineseStoriesaboutWeretigersbySLChiangAND
SacredMetamorphosis:theWeretigerandtheShamanbyCharlesE.Hammond
Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, T. 46, Fasc. 2/3 (1992/93), Pp. 235-255
Worksheet
Consider these questions as you read the stories about weretigers in both readings (Chiang and
Hammond):
1.Causes:What would cause a person to be transformed into a tiger? What would make a tiger
transform into a human? Can you detect any consistent cosmic or moral principles behind the
transformations? Do these principles of transformation remain constant from early medieval
(defined as pre-mid-Tang, from around the third to the seventh century) to late medieval times
(defined as late Tang, about 8th and the 9th century)? If there are changes, what do these changes
in literary treatment tell us about the changes during this period in historical conditions as well as
cultural concepts about general humanity, judicial justice, femininity, male and female sexuality,
and individual identity?
2.IssueofJustice:Why were some weretigers eventually punished for their beastly behaviors
yet others were not? What might have been the moral, judicial, and political rationales behind the
different treatments? What might be the thematic significance behind these divergent treatments?
3.ProcessofTransformation: In some stories the human-tiger transformations were sudden
and abrupt while in others they were gradual. In the stories where the gradual process of the
change is detailed, what moral lessons are reflected in the step-by-step processes of
transformation?

4.Madness:In some stories, the transformation into a weretiger follows the onset of madness.
Was madness considered a medical or moral condition? What was the relationship between
physical and moral health in these stories in medieval Chinese literature? Does this relationship
change over time from the early to the late medieval period? How do the different conceptions of
madness reflect the diverse medieval Chinese views about free will and personal responsibility?
5.GenderandSex:Do male and female weretigers in these stories receive the same literary
treatment in terms of the cause, process, moral consequences, and eventual outcome of the
transformation? If differences do exist, what can these differences tell us about the cultural
construction of gender in medieval Chinese literature? When the subjects of sex and/or marriage
form a major backdrop in the story, are male and female characters afforded equal moral
consequences of the transformation?
6.TheBureaucracy:Most authors of Chinese weretiger stories were either aspirants for, or had

served at different levels of, the Chines imperial bureaucracy. Many of their stories make
significant reference to a wide spectrum of an imperial bureaucracy that ranges from the local
level and the remote border to the heart of the imperial court. The weretiger character is
sometimes associated with a petty government functionary and at other times with a high official.
In these stories, there are sometimes parallels, and other times ironic contrasts, between the mantiger hierarchy and the sociopolitical order. What sociopolitical ideals and realities do these
stories reflect?
7.Ethnicminoritiesasweretigers: how do these stories reflect the Chinese self image as the
civilized center as opposed to the margins?
8.HistoricalMemory: Some of late Tang stories were set in the backdrop of a very specific
historical period of the recent past. How do these stories reflect on historical memories of a
bygone era?
9.TheBenevolentWeretiger: Some weretigers are depicted to be malevolent while other
benevolent. How do these malevolent and benevolent creatures reflect on the moral condition of
the society?
10.WeretigersasDaoistsandBuddhists. Some of the stories appeared to be inspired by Daoist
rituals of exorcism. Do these stories promote or challenge the Daoist or Buddhist ideologies?
Summary:
In medieval Chinese stories about weretigers, while a tiger may transform into a human, its
human form was always shown to be temporary and illusory, while its tiger identity was shown
to be essential and constant. However, if a person turns into a tiger, he or she may or may not be
able to regain the human form. This theme of the vulnerability of humanhood is consistently
present in all Chinese weretiger stories through the ages. It reflects a common conviction that our
identity as human is fragile, contingent, and sometimes even destined to be temporary. Human
identity is not a given. It must be developed, earned, constantly maintained, and vigilantly
protected from corrupting influences both innate and environmental by the individual, family,
society, and the state. On a positive note, some of these stories also show us that our humanity,
while subject to the challenges of external and internal forces, may ultimately be salvaged and
renewed through individual enlightenment and efforts.