There were no lions in ancient China. Why did Shishi become a gatekeeper?

In fact, the ancient stone lion is a combination of culture and the subjective wishes of the ancients. Stone lions, like dragons and unicorns, were thought of by ancient people. Originated from people's pursuit of a better life.

In ancient China, there were no such animals as lions. In the later Han Dynasty? Relevant records in Biography of the Western Regions:? In the first year of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the State of Yue sent envoys to offer teachers. "It can be seen that the lions at that time entered China with the opening of the Silk Road and the Western Regions. No one had seen the lion at that time, so paying tribute to the lion caused a sensation.

Over time, it gradually merged into myths and legends. When we go to play, we can see stone lions placed at the gates of temples, palaces and mansions. It is not difficult to see that the lion was a god in the eyes of ancient people. Ancient craftsmen at that time had never seen a lion, so they combined other elements such as dragon, unicorn and gluttony when carving the lion. In the Song Dynasty, craftsmen carved stone lions more finely, which was also found in the construction of imperial tombs. It was not until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the shape of the stone lion was finally finalized. Shishi has become fuller and richer in appearance.

Why can stone lions be gatekeepers? There are several main reasons:

1. The ancients thought that stone lions could be divined. At first, people used tortoise shells for divination, but later people endowed the stone lion with the ability of divination. People think that their eyes will turn red before some natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods come. People can avoid disasters in advance according to the "reminder" of Shishi, so it has gradually become the patron saint of people.

The ancients believed that stone lions could ward off evil spirits. Dong Fangshuo's Records of the Ten Kingdoms in the Han Dynasty recorded: "The West Sea gathers reservoirs, and the continent is in the West Sea, the land of roots, and the land of three thousand miles." There is Kunlun Mountain in the north, and there are lions in Wan Li on the 26th, with huge teeth to ward off evil spirits, tusked deer and bronze-headed iron-fronted beasts. As we know, stone lions, like other wild animals, also have the function of ward off evil spirits. So we often see stone lions in front of the imperial tomb or the government.

The ancients thought that the stone lion was a symbol of wealth. We have seen that most of the visits of stone lions in TV dramas are at the official door, and we have never seen stone lions let go at the door of ordinary people, because ordinary people simply can't afford stone lions. In the feudal society at that time, stone lions were not only decorations, but also symbols of official positions and wealth.