Stone Lions
Introduction
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- Stone lions are a kind of ornament often used in Chinese culture. It is usually placed on both sides of the gate of the building. It can be seen in palaces, temples, gardens, government office buildings and other places influenced by Chinese culture. Because the role of stone lions is to guard and deter evil spirits, they are regarded as auspicious beasts and are intended to protect the building.
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Backstory and Context
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- The pair of lion statues placed on both sides of the gate of the building is not limited to stone materials. There are also lions made of cement plus steel or fibreglass, or even made of metal, but most of them are collectively referred to as "stone lions".
- The shape of traditional Chinese stone lions is different from the lions you see today. There have been no lions in China since ancient times, and the sculptors had no way to describe them. Therefore they learned from books and foreign visitors and referred to the shapes of dogs or other animals. They even added their own imaginations. Therefore, you can notice the curly hair on the head of the stone lion in front of you, which is actually different from the real lion.
- Let me ask a question for everyone to guess - is the stone lion in front of you a man or a woman? The answer is... the one holding a ball on the right is a man, and the one holding a baby lion on the left is a woman. It means that the man is responsible for protecting the residence and guarding the gate; while the woman is responsible for taking care of the affairs of the house and taking care of everything. So as the name suggests, the man is in charge of the outside and the woman is in charge of the house, each with their own duties.