People

Famous Asian Tigers
By wchung | 07 Jun, 2026

Tigers intrigue us by their sudden swings between crowd-pleasing heroics and abrupt retreats.

Tigers will gladly take love and affection over money or power. They’re real live wires who love to be engaged. They rarely hesitate to jump into a fight or pounce on an opportunity, especially if it means helping or protecting a loved one or friend.

They’re intelligent and sensitive to developing situations, making them good strategists in any conflict. That makes them natural leaders who can bring an impressive sense of dignity to that role. Their gift for being well liked and admired is helped by their unusually good luck.

On the downside, tigers tie too much of their happiness to the approval of others and their good fortune. Setbacks in work or personal life or the inability to garner widespread approval can send tigers into tailspins ending in a funk or even serious depression.

2010 is the year of the metal tiger, the first such year since 1950. The metal element enhances the tiger’s natural charisma and courage while exacerbating their innate impulsiveness. Consequently tigers born this year can be both more spectacularly successful and more susceptible to fits of temper and deep funk when faced with setbacks, slights or disappointments.

The Asian success stories we feature here display the qualities that make tigers so admired, liked and yet seem so baffling and elusive in their abrupt exits from the public eye.