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Virtually everyone on this island knows the famous feline folktale: "The Tiger Aunt." In this episode, we tell that tale -- relying for source material on Taiwanese folktale translator and collector Fred Lobb's wonderful book -- as well as a few other stories related to cats, large or small, real or imaginary. And don't worry dog lovers, your preferred animal will get its day soon when we delve into native Taiwanese dogs and their fascinating history. But for now, sit back and enjoy some wild and weird stories about cats...big and small.
Cover image via Storytelling for Everyone
Fred Lobb posts his translations of Chinese folktales at http://chinesefolktales.
We drew on his translations of “Grand Aunt Tiger” and “The White-Nosed Cat” from his book: Taiwan Folktales: Proverbs, Folk Sayings, and Folktales from Taiwan.
John mentioned a memoir of tiger hunting and growing up in Fujian, China.
China Coast Family (1953) by John C. Caldwell
Below: Eryk's tail-less cat, Panda (2022).
Below: A much more terrifying (or campy) image from a horror movie poster telling the "Tiger Aunt" story (date of release unknown). Pic via inf.news
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became was famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
