Tiger and magpies (huque or hu-ch'ueh 虎鵲) is one of the most popular tiger painting themes found in China, Japan, and Korea. Many scholars have commented on this interesting motif, yet so far no one has yet provided any information on the origin of this interesting design and its symbolic content. Inspired by the increasing interest in this topic by scholars in both Korea and Japan, I have further explored this specific topic. In this article, I will introduce some of the major findings of my initial investigation on the historical development of this theme in China using both written records and surviving paintings.