Here comes 2022, the Year of the Tiger! For Chinese people, the tiger is the king of all the animals. So in Chinese culture, tigers stand for being brave, strong and powerful! That’s why in China you can see pictures of tigers on the walls of temples and houses. They are to protect these places from disasters and danger.

In ancient times, some great generals (将军) were called the “tiger generals”. Normally, generals would be given a tiger-shaped piece called hufu to send soldiers. Tigers also have a place in the lives of Chinese people. Chinese babies often wear tiger hats and shoes which are made in the shape of a tiger’s head. Parents hope their kids will grow to be as strong as little tigers. People make cloth tigers during Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that the “tigers” could “eat up” the bad animals and keep illness away. In some parts of China, people make tiger-shaped buns (馍) when the new year comes.

Westerners also consider tigers as a symbol of Asia. Singapore, South Korea, China’s Hong Kong and Taiwan—were called “The Four Asian Tigers”. In the book Life of Pi, the Canadian writer chose a tiger as the partner for Indian boy Pi on his adventure. French fashion brand (品牌) KENZO takes the tiger as its main pattern when it tries to show Eastern elements.

Tigers are my favorite animals. If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you that my best-loved toy while growing up was my toy tiger, which I still treasure dearly to this day. As a young animal lover, I felt so sad that they were endangered and I wanted to help protect them.

Jenny’s family live in Beijing. Jenny likes animals very much and her parents often take her to Beijing Zoo at weekends.

Today is Sunday and it’s a fine day, so they go to Beijing Zoo again.The zoo has many kinds of animals, such as tigers, zebras, pandas, monkeys and so on.

The tigers come from the north of China. They are yellow and black. They are very large and their mouths are really big. Jenny’s parents think tigers are dangerous.

The zebras are next to the tigers. They are from Africa. They eat leaves and grass. Like the pandas, they are black and white.

Then they go to see the pandas. They are from Sichuan, China. Their favourite food is bamboo. Pandas are very friendly and like sleeping. Look at the baby panda! It’s climbing the tree. How cute it is!

At last, they see a lot of monkeys. Some of them are playing with each other and some are eating bananas. The monkeys are very funny. Jenny likes them best.

Jenny’s family spend a wonderful time in Beijing Zoo.

In the animal world, the mother is usually the parent that does the most for the child. She gives birth to it and often raises it on her own. However, there are several aquatic animals that are turning this idea upside down.

Another father with a pouch is the Darwin’s frog. The female lays eggs and the male guards them for about two weeks. When the tadpoles (蝌蚪) come out of their eggs, the father puts them in the big pouch of skin under his chin, where they stay until they are ready to jump out into the dangerous world.

The clown fish was made famous by the Disney film Finding Nemo. After the female clown fish lays eggs, the male protects them until they hatch. That’s not all. If the mother fish dies, the dad can turn into a female and be the new mom of the family.

Another great ocean dad is the emperor penguin. These dads keep the eggs on top of their feet under a thick fold of warm skin. During the next two months of the Antarctic winter, these fantastic fathers go without food as they keep their eggs warm.

While each of these fathers is very different, they all take responsibility for their children. These dads of the water make sure their kids have a safe place to grow so they will have a good life in the future.