|
Dragon and Tiger coming out
by Gene Ching - Head Shaolin & Tai Chi Chuan Instructor
For the year of the Tiger, martial arts master and celebrated movie
star, Jackie Chan, launched an international campaign with the Global
Survival Network and Hong Kong-based Earth Care for the preservation
of endangered species. Known as "Chen Long" or "becoming
a dragon", Jackie is well loved for his movies and his righteousness.
Through a multimedia campaign that includes movies, television,
radio, print and the world wide web, Jackie is helping to bring
worldwide attention to this dreadful crises. As a popular Asian
role model, there is no one better to champion this worthy cause.
The Chinese people have long been the worst culprits in illegal
wildlife trade. Superstitious beliefs stemming from tiger worship
have cursed this noble animal. In Chinese mythology, it is the tiger,
not the lion, who is the "King of the Beasts". Indeed,
it is said that all Tigers bear the Chinese character for "King"
in the stripes on their brow. This looks like an "H" turned
on its side with an extra line through the middle. Our school patch
bears a Tiger with this very character (see page 38). It should
come as no surprise that the Chinese would imbue the Tiger with
all sorts of fantastical magical powers, particularly in the realm
of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Tiger parts are said to cure
everything from toothaches to hemorrhoids. Many Kung Fu liniments,
such as Dit Da Jow, used Tiger bone in their original recipes. While
some short-sighted people rigidly adhere to such "traditional"
recipes, modern healers agree that this is preposterous. One of
the intrinsic beauties of TCM is the it is highly flexible and adaptable.
There are plenty of herbal alternatives to the use of endangered
species, and respectable healers use these cures and honor the law.
Jackie's campaign is spearheaded by the Global Survival Network
(GSN). In conjunction with other environmental groups, GSN runs
the Asian Conservation Awareness Program (ACAP), which is targeting
the Asian community to address this problem. Along with Tigers,
they are seeking donations to preserve elephants, sea turtles, rhinos
and bears. The existence of each of these creatures is in great
peril and the abuse from TCM is a major culprit. Through education,
we hope to end the horrible waste of many of the world's most majestic
creatures.
It is estimated that there are no more than 5,000 wild tigers left
in the entire world. Less than 100 Tigers live in south and northeast
China and southeastern Tibet. Only five of the eight subspecies
of Tigers still remain. In our century, 95% of the tiger population
has vanished.
Wing Lam Enterprises, Inc. joins Jackie is his fight to save the
Tiger. You can too! You can educate yourself and your community
about the perilous fate of the Tiger. You can boycott any TCM that
uses or claims to use Tiger products. You can also contribute to
our Save the Tiger fundraiser. We'll even send you a nice premium
of a hand-painted piece of calligraphy, as well as list your name
among our supporters in our next issue with our sincere thanks.
The proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to the Global
Survival Network. You'll find more information about this on the
back cover of this issue.
To find out more about Jackie Chan's fight to save the tiger, check
out www.jackiewild.com. For more information about the Tiger crises,
check out www.globalsurvival.net, www.panda.org, and www.5tigers.org.
|