Familiar: No
Spirit Animal: Yes
Spirit Guide: No
Totem: Yes
Mythical: Yes
Supernatural: No
Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, commonly called stone lions in China and sometimes called a foo dog in the West, are symbolic sculptures of the Asiatic lion. The most common term for the lions in China is shi, meaning lion, or shishi (pronounced she-see). They are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament protection symbols of feng shui that typically “guard” the entranceways to buildings and homes. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi. They are known in colloquial English as lion dogs or foo dogs / fu dogs. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized lions—often one male with an embroidered ball (xiù qiú), sometimes carved in a geometric pattern, and one female with a cub representing nurturing and the cycle of life—which had mythic powerful protective benefits including protecting the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat.
Symbolically, the female lion protects those dwelling inside (the living soul within), while the male guards the structure (the external material elements). Sometimes the female has her mouth closed, and the male open. This symbolizes the enunciation of the sacred word “om”. However, Japanese adaptations state that the male is inhaling, representing life, while the female exhales, representing death. Other styles have both lions with a single large pearl in each of their partially opened mouths to represent the sacred breath. The pearl is carved so that it can roll about in the lion’s mouth but sized just large enough so that it can never be removed.
These Chinese guardian lions were found standing sentry in imperial Chinese palaces, government offices, temples, homes of government officials and the wealthy, and imperial tombs, the lions subsequently spread to other parts of Asia including Japan, Korea, Philippines, Tibet, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. Traditionally, when they were placed in front of the homes of high-ranking officials, the number of curls on a lion’s head denoted the rank of the official. The more curls, the higher the rank. According to feng shui, correct placement of the lions is important to ensure their beneficial effect. When looking at the entrance from outside the building, facing the lions, the male lion with the ball is on the right, and the female with the cub is on the left. There are pairs of stone lions guarding entrances all over the Forbidden City, demonstrating the profound importance of this Chinese cultural icon.
The guardian lion pair should be placed according to tradition and the principles of Feng Shui. To ensure the favorable effects of the lions, they must be installed correctly.
- They must always be in a pair to ensure harmony.
- They need to be on pedestals or bases so as to improve their view of the spiritual terrain.
- They must be placed on either side of the entrance to keep it in the harmonious area between the two lions.
- The building must be at the backs of the lion pair so they can see the mischievous spirits approaching.
- They each have their own side in the pair to correspond to principles of Yin and Yang. When facing the entrance from the outside, the male goes on the outward, active side on the right. The female goes on the inward, steadying hand, the left side.
- If the lion pair is to be displayed inside, they must remain together on the same table or shelf, guarding the same room.
If the traditions for proper placement aren’t followed correctly, the house can become vulnerable to bad luck, dishonor or evil spirits.
This ability to drive away negative spirits and energy explains the original placement of these statues at the entrance to Buddhist temples. From there the practice spread to palaces, important residences and mausoleums. Guardian lions are blessed with perception, the ability to discern good and bad intentions. They are prized as loyal but fierce guardians in the spirit world.
The stone lion can repress the impulse to thievery, minimize accidents and confuse those with bad intentions to bring luck and money, balancing Feng Shui harmony. These traits make them prized additions for businesses to promote prosperity. A pair of lions is often seen guarding hotels, restaurants, banks and factories, where their job is to drive away mischief and attract satisfied customers or workers into the business.
They are also used in other artistic contexts, for example on door-knockers, and in pottery. Pairs of guardian lion statues are still common and symbolic elements at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and other structures, with one sitting on each side of the entrance of many Asiatic establishes all over the world. According to Buddhist legend, preaching the truth of the Dharma is akin to “roaring like a lion,” which will eventually silence all other voices. Originally introduced to Han China as the protector of dharma, these lions have been found in religious art as early as 208 BC. Lions seemed appropriately regal beasts to guard the emperor’s gates and have been used as such since. There are various styles of guardian lions reflecting influences from different time periods, imperial dynasties, and regions of China. These styles vary in their artistic detail and adornment as well as in the depiction of the lions from fierce to serene.
In Chinese they are traditionally called simply shi, meaning lion and were already popularly depicted as guardian figures by the sixth century AD. Today the guardian lions are more usually specified by reference to the medium or material, for example: Stone lion (Shíshī): for a stone sculpture, Bronze lion (Tóngshī): for a bronze sculpture, The Lion of Buddha (Foshi): with the word “Fo” relating closely to Buddha himself, or Auspicious lion (Ruìshī): referring to the Tibetan Snow Lion or good fortune.
As might be expected, over hundreds of years of political and military domination, Imperial China had a profound impact on the cultures of surrounding civilizations from the central steppes of Asia to the eastern coast and the Southeast. Because of their original purpose in front of Buddhist temples, the lions spread to other temples in the region, including Tibet, Burma, Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. Each culture has its own name for the stone lion.
- In Japan: the lion figures are known as Shishi or Komainu (lion dogs) In Okinawa: known as Shisa
- In Korea: known as Haetae
- In Myanmar and Laos: known as Chinthe and gave their name to the World War II Chindit soldiers
- In Cambodia: known as Singha or Sing
- In Sri Lanka: known as Singha
- In Thailand: known as Singha or s̄ingh̄̒
- In Tibet: known as a Snow Lion or Gangs-seng-ge
- In Vietnam: known as Sư tử đá
Japan adopted them from Korea and referred to them as “Korean Dogs” (Komainu) due to their transmission from China through Korea and finally into Japan. The Japanese then introduced them to Western cultures, who altered the name to “foo dogs” or “fu dogs.” Although, the words translate to “Buddha” and “prosperity,” the Chinese rarely use these prefixes in conjunction with these guardian symbols. In China it’s well understood that the sculptures are lions and they are never referred to as “dogs”. It may also be due to the misidentification of the guardian lion figures as representing certain Chinese dog breeds such as the Chow Chow or Pekingese.
The lions are traditionally carved from decorative stone, such as marble and granite or cast in bronze or iron. Because of the high cost of these materials and the labor required to produce them, private use of guardian lions was traditionally reserved for elite citizens like generals, heroes, scholars, chi masters and the wealthy. Indeed, a traditional symbol of a family’s wealth or social status was the placement of guardian lions in front of the family home. However, in modern times less expensive lions, mass-produced in concrete and resin, have become available and their use is therefore no longer restricted to the elite.
Danger Level: Safe
Interested in a topic of your own? Just ask here and I will be glad to post it!
Instagram: 3 Cats and Cauldron
TikTok: 3 Cats and a Cauldron
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
Click here for an Index to all posts
