Bronze Guardian lion, Summer Palace; Beijing

Chinese guardian lions are always created in pairs, with the male playing with a ball and the female with a cub. The lionesse, who holds a cub in her paw symbolizes longevity. Opposite her stands the male lion, who holds the world in his paw symbolizes power.

Chinese guardian lions (Fu Lions), lions of Buddha, or sometimes stone lions are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China, which is believed to have powerful mythic protective powers that has traditionally stood in front of Chinese Imperial palaces, temples, emperors’ tombs, government offices, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), until the end of the empire in 1911.

Image published by Baetho on 2015-08-01 18:52:41 and used under Creative Commons license.

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