There were no lions in ancient China, but lion culture prevailed, so how did lion culture rise?
Lion culture has lasted for thousands of years in our country and has been highly respected from ancient times to the present.
Especially in ancient times, lion dance was one of the essential activities during the New Year's festival and some major celebrations.
The cheerful gongs and drums with the smart pace will always give people a lively and festive feeling.
What's even more attractive is the strong cultural atmosphere.
But the strange thing is that there were no lions in ancient China, why was the lion culture so prevalent?
How did the lion culture emerge?
If it is placed now, lions are no stranger to everyone, and they can be seen in almost every city's zoo.
But in ancient times, it was not easy to be lucky enough to witness the true face of a lion.
It is only because there were no lions in our country in ancient times, but they were introduced from abroad later.
According to legend, this can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty, when the birth of the Silk Road gave people a sense of many new things.
We began to have material and even cultural exchanges with more countries.
Many unheard of and unseen things began to flow into China from the Western Regions, including creatures such as lions.
The image of the lion is tall and mighty, especially the male lion, who is not angry but self-assured.
The ancients were full of fear of this creature, but at the same time they loved it very much, and were deeply impressed by their majestic image.
There is a record about lions in the Book of Han, "In the first year of Emperor Zhang, the state of peace sent an envoy to offer lions."
Although there is no detailed description, it can be seen that the term "lion" already existed at that time.
And there are some different versions of the name of the lion.
Legend has it that "Foxy" is one of the nine sons of the dragon, and his image is very similar to that of a lion.
Therefore, many ancient people would also call lions like this, although this is not accurate enough.
So where did the name "lion" come about?
There are many of them, but the most recognized is that they are translated from foreign languages.
In the Sabbath country, lions have a very good status, they represent strength and bravery.
It is loved and revered by people, and many artworks about lions have also flowed into China.
These works of art were loved by the ancients, and people began to learn more about this mysterious creature.
Later, the lion was also regarded as synonymous with kings and heroes.
The birth of a culture is by no means overnight, it takes time to precipitate and accumulate.
The lion has long been seen as a symbol of strength since it came to China with tribute from abroad.
The populace, from the ruling class to the grassroots level, has shown an unparalleled fondness for lions, and the number of lions is very scarce.
It also makes it a layer of mystery and makes the image of the lion more solemn.
A lot of artwork about lions began to circulate on the market, and most of these productions were very beautiful and desirable.
For various reasons, lions have remained high in the hearts of the ancients, so much so that many stories and legends about lions have appeared.
Even the image of the lion began to be mythologized, and in ancient times, people's scientific understanding was limited, and many people still believed it to be true.
During the Liu and Song dynasties, a class of soldiers called lion soldiers appeared, and they regarded the lion as their totem.
Brave in battle, every time you defeat your opponent, you will learn the movements of a lion and dance to celebrate your victory.
Over time, this dance has been gradually perfected, and the movements have become more and more vivid.
The smart and beautiful lion dance has gradually spread, and it no longer only appears on the battlefield, but people will also follow the lion dance to express their joy in life.
When the harvest is good, you can come to the lion dance, and you can also come to the lion dance when you encounter major events, and gradually the lion dance has become the main means for people to celebrate, and it is deeply loved by the ancients.
This unique way of celebrating has also spread rapidly and is being accepted by more and more people.
In the Tang Dynasty, the development of culture entered a peak, and the festive and agile lion dance was also fully developed during this period.
Previously, the lion dance was mostly in the life of the court and the gentry, but in the Tang Dynasty, it was more popular among the people.
Wherever there is a lion dance, there are many onlookers, and everyone is very fond of this art form.
Many folk artists have also begun to make a living from it, relying exclusively on lion dances to make a living.
Later, in order to make the lion dance more lively, people would write some music to accompany it.
The combination of sound and picture has led to the rapid development of this art form, forming an art form that is unique to China.
In addition to the lively scenes and cheerful rhythm, the lion dance is also believed to ward off evil spirits and evil spirits, as soon as the lion dance team arrives, bad luck will be dispelled, good luck will come, and the days ahead will become more and more prosperous.
Of course, this is just some superstitious sayings, but in the eyes of the ancients, it was also an important reason why the lion dance was so popular.
Lion dance has become a kind of sustenance for the ancients' yearning for beauty, and over time it has formed a unique culture.
It has been passed down for thousands of years, and the lion dance scene is still indispensable in grand events.
During the New Year's holidays, without the lion dance team, it is like losing the soul.
Many businessmen also like to invite a lion dance team to have a good time when they open their business.
It can often attract a lot of onlookers, which is enough to show that people love lion dances.
After the lion entered our country, the artwork about the lion has been emerging in an endless stream.
Under the influence of Buddhism, the image and temperament of the lion have once again been biochemical, and it is not just a creature.
Instead, it is regarded as a spirit beast and a strange beast, representing justice and solemnity.
Later, the ancients began to carve stone lions and carved them on a variety of buildings.
At the beginning, there were many stone lions carved and placed in the mausoleum, which not only had different forms and expressiveness, but also a very large number.
In many large mausoleum buildings, the shadow of stone lions is indispensable.
The art of engraving has also continued to advance, and its use has become more widespread, not only in mausoleums and palaces.
Many qualified ancients also began to place stone lions at the door of their residences, making the building more magnificent and highlighting the identity of the owner.
The stone lions usually placed in the residence still have a lot of sayings and exquisiteness, the ancients paid attention to the left of the man and the right of the woman, and the left was generally a male lion.
On the right is the female lion, the male lion usually steps on the hydrangea, and the female lion is accompanied by the cub, symbolizing the prosperity of the people.
The ancients tended to care more about the demeanor than the form when creating an image.
This makes the Chinese stone lion unique, forming a stone lion image rich in Chinese colors.
It's a little more agile, but it doesn't lose the majesty of a lion at all.
The image of the stone lion in each dynasty is also different, and in the Tang Dynasty, the posture of the lion was mostly full of spirit and strong body.
It is like a great country standing in the east of the world, proud but not proud, majestic but not hideous.
In the Ming Dynasty, the use of stone lions became more and more extensive, and it could be used in almost any occasion, and the image began to change.
Due to the refinement of the carving process, the details of the stone lion are more in place, and different expressions are also reflected on different occasions.
The lion of Lugou Bridge is a good embodiment, not only the number is large, but also the shape is changeable, and even the expression is different, which is the best embodiment of the stone lion carving process.
In the Qing Dynasty, the image of the stone lion basically had a relatively fixed form, except for the difference in details, basically not much different from the current stone lion.
It can be seen that in different dynasties, the form of the stone lion is also very different, but the yearning for beauty in people's hearts is unchanged.
The ancients dissolved the lion culture in all corners of life with unique Chinese characteristics.
As the auspicious rui in the hearts of the ancients, the lion has extraordinary significance, whether it is the lion dance or the stone lion, it has withstood the test of time and has been inherited to this day, becoming a cultural treasure with Chinese characteristics.