The Macau Ricci Institute Journal

Connecting Social Innovation, Moral Leadership and Comparative Spirituality

Abstract

The logo of the Macau Ricci Institute in Macau, as it is shared with its founding institution the Taipei Ricci Institute is a provocative one, a symbol with deep and multiple resonances in traditional Chinese culture.  It shows a man standing on the back of a tiger, trying to ride the tiger, which is moving forward, apparently in the direction indicated by the rider.
While we may be concerned about the folly of trying to ride a tiger, the website of the Ricci Institute has this to say about its meaning: “The image taken from a fl at wine vessel in bronze dating from the time of the Han Dynasty, is of a Taoist Immortal riding a tiger. Th e Tiger, prince of the wild beasts of the mountain, is the animal in which resides the ‘Yin,’ the vital principle of
Earth. Th e Tiger signifi es the ‘Yin’ that calls forth the action of the ‘Yang.’” If the tiger symbolises “Yin” then the rider symbolises “Yang” (MRI, 2017). Riding the tiger, according to the MRI website, symbolises mastering the forces of the earth.