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3.
4.
(to make a posture and show one's face), the actor goes through a series of stylised stage movements known as tiu dai ga (literally "to dance the grand posture") which is often used in Cantonese opera at battle scenes when a general appears onstage.
5.
With another series of gestures and stage movements in a style similar to mime, the Deity of Fortune goes indoors, falls asleep, wakes up and discovers that his tiger has gone. The Deity goes out and searches for the tiger but cannot find it. He then climbs up and stands on the top of the wooden table, symbolizing that the Deity is now on the top of a mountain and waits for the tiger to appear. One of the backstage workers often hides under the table to keep the structure steady and firm.
6.
The White Tiger actor enters the stage from stage right. Sometimes an actor might choose to enter with his back turned towards the audience (if there are any) so that the White Tiger's magical power would not hurt them.
The White Tiger crawls towards the piece of pork, grabs it and puts it through the mouth of the tiger mask. To symbolize the consumption of the pork, the actor throws it beneath the edge of the stage.
The Deity of Fortune jumps down from the table and fights with the White Tiger. After some struggle, the Deity surmounts the tiger and sits on its back. A backstage worker then goes onstage and hands a chain to the Deity who then fits it to the tiger's mouth.
7. After the capture of the White Tiger, the Deity of Fortune holds the ends of the chain in his left hand and raises the wooden staff upright with his right hand. In order not to harm the troupe members backstage, the two actors keep facing the audience. With a backstage worker pulling its tail, the White Tiger and Deity of Fortune step backward towards the Tiger Gate at stage left. Upon their arrival at the gate, one of the workers helps the two actors to remove the mask, hat and beard; another worker assists in the cleaning of the painted face with a thin pile of joss papers. Sometimes a towel is used instead. Interviews with some experienced actors reveal that the tradition prescribes that the