Chinese stone lion: history of the great guardian
It’s rare to walk around the Chinese streets without noticing the looks of these incredible stone lions. They are integral part to the Chinese culture and they can be found in big numbers blending in the background of numerous Chinese villages and cities.
Every lion is different from the other, and with all their unique features they are a distinctive element of Chinese tradition and history. Here at Scan The World we have the chance to explore some aspects and details of these magnificent cultural artifacts. We will do that in this story thanks to some of their scans that we are happy to host in our open source museum.
To start with, it is interesting to know a bit of the history behind these ancient artifacts. The Chinese Stone lion is generally a representation of a guardian for rich and powerful personalities. These lions became so important in China after being presented as gifts from Persian diplomats during the early dynasties. They soon became a visual representation of protectors of palaces or sacred places and subsequently spread to other countries in Asia. They usually come in couple, a female with closed mouth and a male recognizable by the open mouth (even though this might change at times).
The imagery tied to the two lions as symbol of guardians of a house or protectors, only settled down years after their first appearance. It was only during the Ming and Qing dynasties that lions took the meaning as we know it today.
Distinguishing between male and female stone lion
As mentioned before, the stone lion can be either a male or a female. The symbols associated to each figure are strongly representative, so much that the typical characteristics of each kind of lion can be easily distinguished. This dualism which accompanies the Chinese culture in many forms is shaped after the concept of yin and yang. In the case of the stone lions, the yin is materialized in the female power while the yang in the male power.
The male lion usually appears with an open mouth while holding a ball under one of his paws. The ball is another symbol tied to Chinese culture: the embroidered ball symbolizes friendship and affection. This comes from an ancient tradition which saw the making of embroidered balls out of discarded fabric materials, these were then given as a friendly gift to kids.
While for the female, the first striking element in its depiction is the presence of a lion cub beside her or beneath a protective paw. Contrary to its counterpart, it is usually sculpted with a closed mouth.
Another interesting characteristic of the stone lions is the typical stone ball trapped inside their mouth. If you look closer, you will be able to see this feature in the mouth of every lion. This is made in such a way that can freely move around the mouth but without ever coming out of it.
It is interesting to know how the craftsmen are able to sculpt such an intricate detail inside the mouth of the sculpture. The ball is in fact sculpted “out” of the mouth rather than in the mouth. This meaning that the sculptor usually sculpt this detail for last, going round the tongue and teeth with smaller instruments.
Needless to mention that the two lions are always sculpted following the rules of the fengshui art with the female on the left and the male on the right.
In time, the main characteristics have stayed the same but they have always left space for artistic minds to give personality to each and every lion. The distinctive elements such as the ball, the open or closed mouth and the cub are just a tiny part of the whole artistic piece which takes infinite forms.
