Faculty of Design

Material Art & Design

Lei Zhang

White Tiger(白虎)

White Tiger represents the west, autumn, and gold element. It is described as a white tiger with fierce eyes, sharp teeth, and strong muscles. The white tiger symbolizes courage, strength, and change and is essential in Chinese culture. It is regarded as a mascot and guardian god.

“I selected the texture of white tiger fur as the characteristic element for design and referred to the ancient Chinese tiger pattern. I used brass and sterling silver wire for twisting, then made a dual colour line, cut and soldered it to create a traditional Chinese tiger pattern, and designed the back chain of curved elements. In addition, I used laser cutting to create acrylic as a gemstone for the pauldrons. Due to the curved shoulder design that fits the body, I used a heat gun to heat and bend the acrylic. I chose a white topaz instead of the original Canadian diamond design for the setting.”