Why put the lion in front of the bank?
Lions are the most common auspicious animals in China folk culture. It is the embodiment of wisdom and strength, with the meaning of auspiciousness, prosperity and endless life, symbolizing status, dignity and peace.
Although lions are not a local product of China, China has a unique lion culture, and lion dances will be held all over the country during the festival. People put on colorful lion coats and imitate lions to walk, sit, throw balls and jump.
Among them, the dance of "double lions playing hydrangea" means endless life, family reproduction and social prosperity, and the picture of lions rolling hydrangea in auspicious patterns also has the same meaning.
The image of a lion often appears in Buddhist classics and Buddhist statues. Manjusri Bodhisattva, a wise Buddha, takes the lion as its mount, thus adding auspicious meaning to the lion.
Ancient officials and extended families were the ruling class and aristocratic class of society. Lions occupied the supreme position among all animals, and lion statues also became a symbol of authority.
The lion stands on the hydrangea, symbolizing power and unity. Shishi is regarded as "the patron saint of China people". Stone was originally cold and heartless, but the lion carved from stone has always inherited the meaning of auspiciousness, peace and harmony.
Extended data:
history
Now the earliest stone lion is the stone lion in front of Gaoyi Tomb in the Eastern Han Dynasty, in Ya 'an, Sichuan. The stone lion in front of Liang Tomb in Jurong County, Jiangsu Province has a history of 1400 years. The Shishi of Tangshunling in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province was built by Wu Zetian for the tomb of his mother Yangling, and it is the masterpiece of the existing Shishi.
After the Ming Dynasty, many palaces, palaces, monasteries and even houses of rich people were guarded by stone lions. Later, stone lions with different postures were carved on doorpillows, stone lintels, cornices, railings and other building parts, which became an indispensable decoration of ancient buildings.
There are many stone lions in Beijing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The shapes of these stone lions are no longer majestic, but tend to be loving and happy. I will not get tired of watching them for a long time. On both sides of Lugou Bridge, there are famous bridges in Jin Dynasty.
* * * Carved column 140, each carved column has a delicate and lively stone lion carved on its head, and each stone lion hides nine little lions, the smallest of which is only a few centimeters, which is extremely difficult to count. Therefore, there is a saying that there are countless lions in Lugou Bridge.
196 1 year, archaeologists specially numbered and counted the stone lions in Lugouqiao, and finally counted them clearly: * * there were 485.
References:
Baidu Encyclopedia-Stone Room (the name of traditional architectural decoration)