The white tiger in the Dragon and Tiger Hall of Fuzhen Temple

All the important temples and monasteries on Wudang Mountain are equipped with Dragon and Tiger Halls, where statues of the blue dragon and the white tiger are enshrined to show the grandeur of paying homage to Zhen Nong. Ancient astrologers formed the shape of a tiger among the seven Western constellations. Since the West is white among the five colors, it is called the White Tiger. Taoism refers to it as "the God of the West", one of the four deities of the east, west, south and North. The "Map of the Three Assistants" records: "The Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise, all from the four stars, govern the four directions." In ancient times, the white tiger was also widely used. It belongs to Yin in the two Qi, Gen in the Eight Trigrams, and metal in the Five Elements. In the body, it strengthens the lungs and governs the kidneys, etc. Here, the azure dragon and the white tiger are used in one hall, and they also carry the meaning of Taoist cultivation, that is, to nourish the qi of the lungs and liver. In the "Taishang Yuanbao Jinting Wuwei Miao Jing", it is said: "The two qi are metal and wood." The golden white color, its virtue and majesty, its spirit like a tiger, and the energy of the lungs, is thus called the white tiger. The color of wood is green. Its virtue is gentle and its spirit is like that of a dragon. Therefore, the energy of the liver is called "green dragon". The statues here are highly symbolic. The "divine" white tiger is depicted with a peaceful expression, while the "gentle" green dragon is depicted with a fierce form. It can be seen that when the two return to their original nature, they can regulate and nourish, and balance the two qi.