Chinese Lion Statues Meaning

Hence here we will discuss the benefits of a lion statue on the front porch.

Chinese lion statues meaning. Chinese or imperial guardian lions are a traditional chinese architectural ornament. The name may have come from the chinese word fó which refers to buddha or fu which can mean prosperity. Typically made of stone they are also known as stone lions or shishi. The earliest stone lion was the stone lion in front of the tomb of the eastern han dynasty.

The symbolism of the lions begins with their gender one male one female reflective of the long chinese taoist tradition of the yin and the yang familiar in the west as the white and black tadpole forms intertwined with their opposite shaded eye. The lion statue is a sculpture with stone as raw material and sculpture with artistic value and ornamental value. The chinese call the animal statues shí meaning lion or shíshī meaning stone lion. The male lion symbolic of the yang usually has one paw placed upon a ball.

There is a rite to stone lion called kaiguan which means give light to the stone lion s eyes. These dogs are actually lions but their resemblance to chow dogs caused them to be dubbed foo dogs or fu dogs. The male holds a ball the female holds a puppy. If you ve ever eaten at a chinese restaurant chances are you saw a pair of dog like statues guarding the entrance.

If the stone lion didn t receive the rite it s only an artwork not a mascot in chinese minds. Humans have made these lion statues since ages ago. The paired stone lions should stand symmetrically in front of the building. Moreover lion statues also depict the monarchy and the utmost wealth.

It is a kind of decoration commonly used in traditional chinese architecture. There is a right way and a wrong way to position the pair. Lion indicates safety and luck in china. The ball represents the world and the puppy represents nature or a nurturing spirit.

The concept which originated and became popular in chinese buddhism features a pair of highly stylized lions often one male with a ball and one female with a cub which were thought to protect the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be. They are known in colloquial english as lion dogs or foo dogs. It may come as some surprise to know that the ball is actually supposed to be embroidered and not as may be expected representative of some weapon or other masculine.