Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thought that the Hu people's tribute was ugly, and he refused to eat the tiger, but the tiger did not eat
Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions and the opening of the Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty made the exchanges between China and foreign countries increasingly close, especially with Central Asia. China has been a great power since ancient times, and neighboring countries have submitted and paid tribute to China, and are known as "vassal states".
In ancient times, foreign objects called "foreign goods" were prized because of their rarity. In the context of the first exchange, many Fanbang specialties flow into China, some even unexpected, such as watermelons, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
At the same time, many exotic animals were also introduced.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty's economy was extremely prosperous, and Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions made the Han Dynasty's status in the surrounding countries even more lofty. As a generous monarch, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's foreign policy was not to conquer by force, but to focus on friendly exchanges.
When Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty prepared a large amount of gold and silver treasures as gifts. These gifts were not only used to negotiate diplomatic relations, but also to show the strength of the Great Han, and this way of giving gifts was very effective at all times.
When those Fanbang countries saw that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so generous, they naturally understood the strength of the Han Dynasty, so they were willing to bow down and be vassals. Therefore, when necessary, the state of Fanbang would also send back some local specialties as gifts to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
The harem of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has since been full of exotic customs, in addition to exquisite treasures, there are also various rare and exotic beasts, such as camels, peacocks, etc. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty loved these pets even more, and whenever someone gave him them, he would raise them carefully.
Once, however, the Hu people of the Western Regions sent a special animal with short hair and a mane on its head. Seeing this animal, Emperor Wu of Han frowned, feeling that it was too ugly.
But he could not show his displeasure in front of the messenger, so when the messenger had left, he ordered the animal to be thrown into a cage where the tiger was kept in captivity, and was to be fed to the tiger.
The tiger suddenly fell on all fours and did not even dare to look directly into the eyes of the lion. Emperor Wu of Han was very surprised to see this scene, he thought that there were still creatures in the world that tigers would be afraid of, so he immediately asked the ** around him what kind of animal this was.
* Tell him that this is the lion, the beastmaster of the Western Regions. From then on, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty designated the lion as the "king of beasts".
According to the analysis of historical data, the animal raised by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty should be the South China tiger, because of its small size, it will show panic and prostrate when facing a huge lion.
The luxury pet lion was introduced to our country by the records of the Book of Han and the Book of the Later Han Dynasty after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up the road to the Western Regions, and was first recorded in the annals of our country in the first year of Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty, which was dedicated by the Yueshi country.
Since then, the Sabbath has also offered lions on several occasions. Finally, in the seventeenth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Portuguese envoy paid tribute to the African lions. Although they are both called "lions", they are probably not the same breed.
The appearance of the lion is very similar to the legendary beast of prey in our country, so it is regarded as the same kind of creature. Since ancient times, the beast has been regarded as a symbol of protecting the family, which made the lion later the "door god" of the town.
Since lions are an alien species, they are rare and expensive, and they are regarded as mythical beasts. Moreover, the arrogant kingly temperament of the lion is unrivaled, and even became a symbol of imperial power for a time.
Therefore, the magnates of the Han Dynasty kept lions as pets, hoping to be tainted with some "royal atmosphere". However, not everyone has such an opportunity, and only within the royal family can get a glimpse of the lion's true face.
During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, with the opening of the Silk Road, the connotation of foreign objects became more colorful. Many neighboring countries such as Turkic, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo and Silla came to submit to the Tang Dynasty, and the great court meeting held by Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was a grand event of that period, and envoys from various countries gathered in Chang'an to pay homage.
The arrival of the envoys also brought many tributes, including lions. At that time, many powerful families had the opportunity to keep lions as pets. In the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He traveled as far as the southern coast of East Africa, where he purchased large quantities of lions, which was also caused by the trend of buying and selling, as many wealthy people at the time regarded lion breeding as a luxury pleasure.
As the manpower and material resources required to raise lions increased, and the opposition increased, the trend slowly subsided. Lion culture In the hearts of the Chinese people, the image of the lion is a combination of majesty and meekness, with the majesty of fierce beasts such as tigers and the meekness of sheep.
These seemingly contradictory traits have made lions famous. Therefore, people regard it as a sacred beast in the town house and a symbol of good luck in everything. Ancient people regarded the "lion" and the lion as the same species, on the roof of the ancient court of our country, the lion is one of the spine beasts, these are regarded as divine beasts, so the lion is also regarded as a divine beast.
With the passage of time, the culture of lion dance gradually emerged among the people.
According to Meng Kang, a scholar of the Three Kingdoms period, the lion dance was originally a performance of people playing shrimp, fish and lions, which may be the earliest record of lion dance.
As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, this kind of elephant man activity was called acrobatics, indicating that there were various forms of performances at that time. However, at that time, the world was chaotic, and these entertainment programs were interrupted many times.
It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the situation changed, and lion dance began to flourish. It is said that at that time, the lion was introduced to China, and the position of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was stable, and the people began to hold lion dances for the worship of sacred animals.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the lion dance became an important festival, and later because the event was too grand, the lively Chinese associated the lion dance with the Spring Festival, and since then the custom of the Spring Festival lion dance has begun to take shape.
During the Qing Dynasty, the lion dance has formed a unique culture, and there are also different styles from the north and south, and there are many forms of performance. The northern lion is mighty and strong, and the southern lion is smart and gentle, each with its own characteristics.
Today, the lion dance has entered thousands of households and is often seen at opening ceremonies. Although the lion is not native to China, it has a deep relationship with China. The culture of lion dance has become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has become an indispensable part of Chinese culture.