The story of why the lion kept the door for the emperor.
There are usually a pair of stone lions or bronze lions outside the palace gate. According to the architectural orientation, the paired stone lions in front of the ancient palace are generally left men and right women (the stone lions at the door are placed according to the direction of people coming out of the gate), which is in line with China's traditional philosophy of Yin and Yang. The lion placed on the left side of the door is usually carved into the right front paw to play with hydrangea or put a hydrangea between the two front paws (some are carved with their mouths open); The lioness on the right side of the door is carved into a left front paw touching the cub or a cub lying between the two front paws (also carved into a closed mouth). You can also see from what is under the lion's paw: if there is a ball under the paw, which symbolizes the unity and supreme power of the whole world, it must be a lion. The cubs stand under their paws, symbolizing the continuation of their children and grandchildren. This is a lioness. And because the lion is the king of beasts, a domineering beast. So it has the functions of "dignity" and "majesty". Today, it has extended from palaces and yamen to government agencies at all levels and even private houses. In front of the door, people like to use stone lions to ward off evil spirits. Of course, not every household is suitable for placing stone lions. Without the boldness of vision of the emperor's family, his domineering can not be completely suppressed, but may be hurt by his domineering.
Supplement:
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent a mission to the Western Regions, which opened up the connection between China and other countries in the Western Regions and enabled the lion to enter China. "The history of the later han dynasty. Biography of the Western Regions: "In the first year of Zhang (AD 87), (an interest country) sent an envoy to offer a teacher (lion) and." It means that an interest country far away in West Asia (equivalent to today's Iran) sent an envoy to Liu Huan, the then Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and sent rare gifts: the lion and Fu Ba (a rare hornless animal). This caused quite a stir in Luoyang, the then capital. From then on, the lion, a guest from afar, began to enter the folk life of the people in China. He was not only treated with courtesy, but also loved by the people in China. He was honored as a "Rui beast" and was promoted to the status of the king of beasts comparable to a tiger. In Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, it is said that "the lion is the first of all animals when he leaves the western countries." Lions have such good luck in China, and they also benefited from the introduction of Buddhism into China in the Han Dynasty. "Recorded under the Light" said: When Buddha Sakyamuni was born, he made a lion roar: "Heaven and earth are the only ones". Therefore, Buddhist stalks worship lions as solemn and auspicious beasts of God. In the future, Buddhists said that the sound shook the heavens and the earth, and all animals were frightened, so it was called "lion roar".